I hope Heaven has lemon trees because my daddy would surely love these Lemon Brownies. I know that I do!
I love brownies; truly, I think most of the time I’d rather have them than cake. Something about their texture – cakey and gooey all at the same time. And, I love citrus sweets – Key Lime Pie, Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake, Lemon Blueberry Pies, and on and on and on. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to try them – the texture of brownies with the flavor of lemon…definitely a double score!
I bought lemons a few weeks ago and, like I always do, I procrastinated and the lemons kind of passed their prime. I thought about picking up a few more at the store today and making the brownies later in the week. But, the weather here is dreary (I don’t know if that’s the right word – dreary always conjures up cold to me and it’s certainly not cold, but it’s overcast and humid and more than a little smothering), both girls have fevers and don’t want to do anything fun, and I’m in a little bit of a funk. I decided that I could use a little sunshine today and just used lemon extract and bottled lemon juice and gave this recipe a whirl.
They are quite possibly now my favorite dessert (or mid-day snack or lunch or breakfast or dinner). I tasted them when they came out of the over and they were oh.so.good but the glaze puts them somewhere in the stratosphere. Seriously, these pretty little brownies are delicious!
Here’s the recipe. I modified it by using what I had on hand. The original recipe I pinned is here at Becky Charms.
Lemons From Heaven Brownies
3/4 cup flour (all purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick of butter, unsalted, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle!)
2 teaspoons of pure lemon extract
Lemon Glaze
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice
4 teaspoons of lemon zest
Combine the flour, sugar, sea salt, lemon juice, extract, and butter (basically everything but the eggs) in a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix until well combined. Add the egg. Beat until creamy – about two minutes. Pour into a greased 8X8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the edges of the brownie start to turn golden brown and a fork comes out relatively clean. Don’t overcook or you won’t get that yummy gooey brownie texture!
Cool the brownies completely in the pan. While they’re cooling, put the powdered sugar in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and zest and stir until you’ve gut a glazy texture. Pour half of the glaze over the cooled brownies and spread with an off-set spatula. Let the first layer of glaze set. Repeat with the second half of the glaze. Let the second layer set. Cut. Serve. Enjoy!
