Little Lemonies {Yummy Lemon Brownies}
These little squares of lemony goodness are soft, chewy and the perfect lemon treat for anyone who appreciates a delicious lemon brownie!
I know, I know, technically I could get in a lot of trouble (you know, from the food blogger police) calling these non-brownie treats brownies. But every once in a while I like to throw caution to the wind and let that be today.
These little lemony brownie bites are so utterly amazing, it won’t really matter what they are called once you fall in love.
The texture is everything soft and cakey and chewy and a little dense. The real lemon flavor comes through in the tart and sweet glaze and compliments that subtle lemon brownie layer in very magical ways.
It really is like a bite of sweet, fresh, lemony heaven.
Easy and quick to whip up, you can serve them at room temperature. But if you decide to chill them first, be prepared to hand them out to neighbors, friends and strangers immediately or else all self-control may be lost.
They are so good chilled, I want to weep. Consider yourself warned.
I was a little caught off guard at how these lovely but simple lemon treats won me over but win me over they did. As in, after tasting 12, I hurriedly cut them into tiny squares, stuffed them in mini muffin tins and sent them straight in to Brian’s office.
And then I missed their presence so deeply, I went and made another batch. They are impossible to resist.
Little Lemonies
Ingredients
Lemon Batter:
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 1 large lemon
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze:
- ¾ cup (86 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8X8-inch aluminum baking pan with parchment so that it hangs over two of the edges (to lift out the bars later – alternately, you can just grease the pan really well and slice them in the pan) and lightly coat the pan and parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl or in a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the butter, eggs and egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs (the top of the bars should spring back lightly when gently pressed). Don’t over bake or they might be dry.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth and combined.
- After the bars have cooled completely in the pan, drizzle the glaze over the top (since the glaze layer is thin, it helps to pour it all across the bars instead of in one puddle before spreading) and use an offset spatula or knife to spread evenly over the bars.
- Place the bars in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to let the glaze set before lifting them from the pan (using the parchment overhang) and cutting into small squares. These taste best chilled, in my opinion, but can be served at room temperature also.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Bakerella (cut down the butter, added weight measurements, used an extra egg yolk for super moistness, cut the glaze in half, etc)
217 Comments on “Little Lemonies {Yummy Lemon Brownies}”
Love your website 🙂
Had my first fail today with these squares.
The batter tasted amazing, but the batter didn’t raise at all despite the baking powder being active (used in other re pies and well within best before date).
Just wanted to check if the 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder amount is correct? Thank you!
Hi Nicky – sorry these didn’t work out for you! Yes, the 1/4 teaspoon baking powder is correct. The bars don’t rise super high – they are dense and kind of fudgy.
Oh my gosh. It’s all I can say. I’ve tried a few of this particular recipe and every one is just a bit different here or there…this one though, OH MY! I double it now and I thought I’d let you know, I did try them chilled and no…I’ve never gone back. Absolutely, mouthwateringly delicious.
hi Mel I have no idea if you’ll see this question but to freeze these would you wrap them individually or can you freeze them an easier way? Thanks
Hi Denae – these freeze best unglazed – after defrosting, you can glaze. Given that, I’d freeze the entire pan (cover it well and freeze the lemonies in the pan).
I am an avid baker and these are beyond delicious! Sometimes I feel like lemon loafs are more of a breakfast thing and lemon bars are just too intense… these brownie things are amazing. The glaze is tart, the “brownie” is firm and chewy. YUM!!! Made for my one year olds birthday party and got lots of compliments. Will be making again and again… and again.
These were one of the cookies we devoured during “Cookie Week” at our house. I mainly made these because I had all the ingredients. They were simple to make and very delicious. I agree that they are better when chilled.
Hi Mel, Is it definitely 142 grams of flour/1 cup for this particular recipe? I follow KAF’s guide of 120g /cup of AP flour, so I want to make sure 142 is what is needed here. Thanks in advance!
Yes, it’s 142 grams per cup of flour – I test all my recipes using that amount.
Absolutely perfect! Light, lemony, sweet, approachable. Made them for a birthday party and I know they will be a hit. Thank you!
Do you think it would be possible to turn these into a sheet pan recipe?! TIA!!
Probably! I haven’t tried it, so I’m not exactly sure of the quantities. Maybe a triple or quadruple batch for a sheet pan?
These look and sound like lemon heaven!! I stumbled across you while I was searching for something “lemon-y” to send to my grandma. These sound like perfection!.. My grandma taught me to bake my first cookie :0) She is now 92, and no longer bakes. I would love to send her some sweet lemon love (as it is her favorite flavor). Do you think these will ship well? Would the glaze set up firm – or would it liquify if I wrap them in plastic?… They need to survive a 2 or 3 day ship time. I am so glad to have found you and can’t wait to try your recipes!! Thank you for any advice you have!
Such a sweet idea! Unfortunately, I don’t think the glaze would hold up very well to shipping. It stays pretty soft!
You should win the Nobel Dessert Prize for these, Mel. They are the best lemon goodie I’ve had in a long time. Adding to their awesomeness is the ease of preparation. I *love* a good old lemon bar, the curd + short crust, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes they are just so-so. These are bonkers. I’m sharing the recipe far and near. Thank you, Mel!
I’m so happy you love them, Dana!! They really are incredible.
Make these for church gatherings and they are always a hit. Thanks Mel for all of your amazing recipes.
We love these! Doubled it and put it in a 9 by 13 pan! Yummy!!!
Making these for my daughter’s wedding! I tripled the recipe and it fits perfectly in a rimmed cookie sheet (1/2 sheet pan). Hope that’s useful to someone!
Thanks, Angie! That’s super helpful!
I have made these a countless amount of times now and they turn out amazing everytime!!!! I used Bob Red Mill 1:1 GF flour and it works perfectly. Added chopped strawberries this time and is such a good summer treat. Thank you for this recipe!
We LOVED these! Doubled the recipe for my co-workers at the firestation, and they didn’t last long.
I made two changes that may not have been absolutely necessary, but they were delicious.
1. Used gluten free flour blend.
2. Used 1/2 cup sour cream, in addition.
I’m having a love affair with sour cream, these days. The flavor was amazing!!!!!
OMG! I’ve made these so many times now, I’ve actually lost count. I love this recipe so much. These are perfect for small tea parties, a snack for short trips ( wouldn’t last long on a long trip I imagine lol) gatherings or even picnics. They really don’t last long, as I’ve witnessed, I normally have to make 2 or 3 batches if we have family an friends over for events, sense they are consumed so quickly.
Looks perfect, but are you sure about the sugar and flour? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
These are one of my very favorite desserts! I would like to make these for a tea and thought if I baked them in mini muffin tins they might be less messy to handle. Do you think that would work? Any idea about baking time? Thank you!!
Sure, that might work – are you going to use mini muffin liners? I’d check them after about 7-9 minutes.
You say these can be served at room temp, how long is their shelf life? I’d love to ship these to my family because they LOVE lemon. Do you think they’d stay fresh if packaged securely?
You could definitely try – although they aren’t a baked good I would necessarily consider for shipping. The texture and frosting might make it so they don’t ship super well.
Made these for Easter 2021, following the recipe exactly. These are absolutely delicious, and leave a pleasant aftertaste, too! I sent the remainder home with my son (who raved about them), but my husband wants me to make more ASAP. Thanks for this recipe. Yum!
Can you double this recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan?
Yes
I made these last night. They are wonderful and yes best served cold. Only issue I had was I needed to bake these for 22 minutes as opposed to the 18-20 minute directions. It could likely be my oven.
These are the best ever! I cut them into tiny squares and oh them into mini muffin papers. When I give them away, people think they’re amazing!!!!!
Made these for Super Bowl get together and they were a huge hit! Everyone asked who made them and one even commented that they were his favorite thing to eat out of all the food we had. Super yummy. Highly recommend.
These were so crazy delicious! Definitely a different texture than any other homemade lemon dessert I’ve made but my family thought they tasted exactly like the little lemon cupcakes that Costco sells. I made them exactly as directed except doubled them and used a 9×13 pan. They were gobbled up in a day and now I’m wishing I had hidden more for me 🙂
Hi there! Do you think it will work in air fryer? I have 5×5 inch pan, how much should I reduce for the measurement? I can’t wait to try it out!! Thank you!!
I’m sorry I haven’t tried that – you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
These were everything I didn’t know I was missing from lemon desserts. I love lemon but have never loved lemon bars or lemon pie, but I would make them because I was searching for something, I didn’t know what. THIS, this recipe is what I was searching for- chewy, cakey lemony heaven. They didn’t make it to the fridge or even get their glaze Maybe next time…
Haven’t made this yet as find the ingredient weights incorrect a cup is equivalent to 8 ozs not 5, so wondered about the rest….
It’s not incorrect – the weight measure refers to how much flour will weigh. An 8-ounce cup holds 8 FLUID ounces, but the WEIGHT of an ingredient will vary depending on what it is. A cup of flour weighs 5 ounces.
I was a bit worried when making these… After adding the lemon juice to the eggs and butter, it looked like the lemon juice did something to the eggs and butter… kinda curdled looking. But stuck with it and baked them for 18 minutes. After they cooled, I tried to spread the glaze as much as I could, but it didn’t seem like enough glaze to cover the whole top. Spread it thinly and let them chill before cutting. Small taste test and… YUM!! Squishy like a brownie texture, tart and sweet lemon flavor came through strong. Maybe cause my zest measurements were a little more generous than the recipe. Another keeper… But maybe up the glaze a tad bit so it isn’t so hard to spread around.
Tyler, did you use an 8” or a 9” pan to bake them in? A 9” would result in the Glaze not covering as well. I bet they were still delicious.
These are absolutely delicious!
How about adding some fresh blueberries to the batter?
Definitely worth a try!
I found them underwhelming, BUT that’s probably because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try these or make lemon bars. Turns out I really wanted lemon bars and these aren’t lemon bars. I found the glaze a little over powering. My husband loves them.
These are so delicious! Made them for the family who gobbled them up! I Substituted lemon extract for vanilla and they were perfectly lemony and sweet. Wonderfully dense and delicious.
These are dangerously addictive. Somehow their tiny size makes it easier to eat, like, 10 at a time. My 5 year-old and I made these as part of a holiday gift for her beloved kindergarten teacher, who adores all things lemon. She will absolutely love them and my daughter feels so accomplished after helping me bake and arrange them in their little muffin liners. Thank you for such a refreshing and delicious recipe!
Hi Mel, I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe! Ever since I discovered your blog it has been my go-to summer dessert to share. I wanted to share with you and adjustment that has made them (in my humble opinion) even better! Instead of a lemon glaze I always make them with a lemon cream cheese frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
½ stick of butter (4 tablespoons or ¼ cup)
3/4 cup (2.75 ounces/75 grams) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (from one lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from one lemon)
They are incredible this way! I hope you try it out sometime – you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca! Sounds amazing!
These were adequate. The only thing that tasted like lemon was the icing, not the bars. But since the icing was super lemony it worked. Just wasn’t amazing.
Would you recommend that I triple this to fit an 11x17x1 pan?
Yes, probably triple or quadruple.
Made these for cub scouts and everyone loved them! Great recipe!
Has anyone tried doubling this and using a 9 x 13 inch pan? Thanks!
Yes, it works great!
Delicious!, so simple to make, BIG a on flavor!
HUGE hit for Easter!!!
I was gifted some lemons from a friend’s lemon tree right about the time I saw this recipe. I only had a 9 inch pan so mine turned out a little thinner but still so so good. Other than the fact that I hate zesting and usually give up before I have the required amount, I persevered because I had this one giant lemon. They turned out so good. The glaze amount is perfect in my opinion.
Hi, Mel. I make these lovely little squares for my church quite frequently. I made them for today substituting the lemon for orange and everybody loved, loved loved them!!
Thanks for a great website. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they’ve all been winners!
Oh yum! I want to try it with orange!
Ooooh… orange! Yum!! thanks for the idea. I’ll definitely be trying that!
I’ve just received a bag of very large Meyer Lemons with my food order. I can’t wait to make these tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe. It looks amazing.
Just perfect as written. Easy but delicious, even people who don’t like desserts love these.
Do these freeze well?
Yes!
Do you glaze before freezing or after?
I glaze before freezing.
Thank you!
I made these….they are Ooòooh so good. I couldn’t stop eating them. I had to pack some up and send to family and took some to work to keep from eating them all.
I had to stop myself at one…because the first time I ate three and my stomach was reeling from the citric acid. And my tongue was feeling it too. LOL