Lemon Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

• 4 oz (113g) pure white chocolate coarsely chopped
• 7 tablespoon (100g) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp (175g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about 2 lemons
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour sifted

Glaze

• ⅔ cup (80g) powdered icing sugar
• 4 teaspoon (20ml) lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at each side and secure the sides down on the edge of the pan with ¾-inch binder clips.
2. Combine chopped white chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan with barely simmering water. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Or, melt in the microwave at 50% power in short 20 second bursts with frequent stirring so that it doesn’t burn.
3. Combine eggs, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until pale and thick. Mix in vanilla and any other desired flavorings. Mix in warm melted white chocolate mixture.
4. Sift in flour and fold it in gently.
5. Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is shiny and crackly. A skewer inserted into the center should come out mostly clean with a few sticky crumbs attached. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the glaze. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and glossy. It should be opaque but flowing with a drizzling consistency. You can add more or less lemon juice if you would like it thinner or thicker. Now, you can add the icing over the still warm brownies for a glazed effect or spread it on after they’re cooled for a thicker icing. Let the icing set for 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Notes

6 March 2026: I made these today for the first time, in my mini-brownie pan (11” x 7”). I used a mix of Meyer lemons and regular lemons for the zest in the recipe, and the juice in the glaze. I added Meyer lemon zest to the glaze, too. For extracts, I used ½ teaspoon of vanilla and ½ teaspoon of lemon extract, plus three drops of lemon oil. For the glaze, I used 100 grams of powdered sugar and the zest of nearly one whole Meyer lemon. I used as much of the mix of regular and Meyer lemon juice as needed to make a very thick but spreadable glaze. This glaze just barely covered the brownies, so next time I would make a little more. The brownies came out perfectly at 21 minutes on rack 2. I did not rotate the pan during baking.