If you love lemon, you are certain to become a fan of these easily made Lemon Blondies. They are the perfect balance of sweet, with a slight tang from the zesty lemon flavour. The crisp exterior with a perfectly moist and slightly fudgy centre is sheer perfection. They are so quick and easy to make they are certain to become a family favourite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- These Lemon Blondies will be a great addition to your baking repertoire. Serve them warm for dessert with my No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream; the contrast of warm and cold, with the ice cream slowly melting onto the warm blondie, is sheer bliss! Or enjoy them when cooled with a cup of tea or coffee. So many ways to enjoy them.
- A recipe which is quickly and easily made is always welcomed.
- They are made from simple ingredients that are readily available or you may already have on hand.
- You will enjoy the fresh, tangy flavour of lemon in every bite.
- You can make them gluten-free; just use the appropriate flour and check that the chocolate chips are suitable.
Recipe Inspiration: Chocolate Brownies are always popular… but if I had to choose, I’m team lemon any day! This is a sweet treat I can never resist, and I am sure you’ll love it too.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Butter – we use unsalted so we can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Brown sugar – we use light brown sugar, which adds a slight caramel flavour.
- Eggs – I use large, free-range eggs.
- Vanilla – for preference, use naturally extracted vanilla, not one artificially flavoured.
- All-purpose/plain flour – this is a versatile flour, suitable for general use. It does not contain a raising agent. Use gluten-free flour if necessary – the recipe has been tested with both.
- Baking powder – we add a small amount to leaven the Blondies.
- Salt – a little sea salt helps to enhance the flavours.
- Lemon – we use both the zest and juice of the lemon. Be sure to zest the lemon first, and then juice, as it is easier this way.
- White chocolate chips – complement the lemon flavour.
Variations:
Citrus – use another citrus, such as orange, instead of lemon.
Chocolate chips – if you prefer to omit, you could use some chopped nuts instead.
How To Make Lemon Blondies:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Beat the butter and sugar:
Melt the butter on the stove or in the microwave. Add the melted butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer, or using hand beaters, whip for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
2 – Stir through eggs:
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Using a wooden spoon, add beaten eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix well.
3 – Add the remaining ingredients:
Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Fold through lemon juice, zest, and white chocolate chips.
4 – Add the mixture to your tin:
Pour into your prepared baking tin and bake for approximately 35 minutes. To test when ready, use a thin skewer or toothpick. Don’t wait for the skewer to come out clean; the blondie will be overcooked at that stage.
Remove from the oven and leave the blondie in the tin until completely cool. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Hint: Top tip: As all ovens vary, cooking times are a guide. It is important to not overcook the blondie as it will lose its fudgy centre. When checking for doneness, to achieve the desired fudgy centre, the skewer needs to come out with a little stickiness. The blondie will continue cooking a little further after removing it from the oven. If the skewer comes out clean, the blondie will be overcooked at that stage.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Once they are cool, store the blondies in an airtight container at room temperature. The blondies are at their best on the first day but can be stored up to 3 days. If the weather is hot, store the blondies in the fridge.
The blondies freeze well. To freeze, wrap the slices in cling wrap then transfer them to an airtight freezer container. You can freeze them for up to three months. Be sure to label the container as frozen items are often difficult to identify.
Yes, you can. This recipe has been tested many times with a good quality gluten-free flour. We use a blend that contains xanthan gum. If your flour does not contain it, you’ll need to add it.
Top Tip:
For the best result with this easy recipe, we recommend you use good quality ingredients. I recommend good quality vanilla extract and white chocolate chips.
For your ingredients to thoroughly amalgamate, it is important to have your eggs at room temperature. If you forget to remove the eggs from the refrigerator, just place them in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions:
The bright freshness of lemon makes these Blondies suitable to serve throughout the day. Some suggestions are:
- They are perfect for morning or afternoon tea.
- Serve a plate for any celebration, such as birthday, baby shower, or any time that friends and family gather.
- Serve them warm with our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream and enjoy the cold ice cream melting over the Blondies.
- They travel well. Add to lunch boxes or take them to picnics, potlucks, or work parties.
- Make a pretty platter; they are an ideal edible gift.
If, like me, you love lemon desserts, you will love these Lemon Blondies with the perfect balance of sweetness and fresh brightness of citrus. This is a simple, easily made recipe and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I am certain that it will become a family favourite.
Alex xx
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Lemon Blondies
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 250 g (1 cup) unsalted butter – melted
- 300 g (1 ½ cups) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs – beaten, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 g (2 cups) plain/all-purpose flour – gluten free or regular See Notes 1 and 2
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest See Note 3
- 2 tablespoon (40 ml) lemon juice
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees C (355 F).
- Line a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) square tin with baking paper – leave a little overhang to make it easier to remove the blondies.
- Melt your butter in a small saucepan on the stove, or in the microwave.
- Add the melted butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer, or using hand beaters, whip for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Using a wooden spoon, add the beaten eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture, and stir to ensure all of the ingredients are combined.
- Fold through the lemon juice, zest and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 35-40 minutes. (My oven takes 38 minutes.)
- To check when they are ready, use a very thin skewer or toothpick. You don't want it to come out completely clean, but the mixture should not appear raw. To achieve the desired fudgy centre the skewer needs to come out with a little stickiness. The blondie will continue cooking a little further after removing from the oven. Don’t look for the skewer to come out clean; the blondie will be overcooked at that stage.
- When cooked, remove the tin from the oven and leave the blondie in the tin until completely cool. Once cool, cut into twelve pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- Flour: you can use either regular all-purpose/plain flour or gluten-free. I have made this recipe many times using both options. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. If your flour blend already contains either of these gums, there is no need to add more, however you will need to add it if your blend doesn’t contain it.
- Weight measurements: for the most accurate results when baking, we recommend weighing your ingredients using a kitchen scale.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Storage: once they are cool, store the blondies in an airtight container at room temperature. The blondies are at their best on the first day but can be stored up to 3 days. If the weather is hot, store the blondies in the fridge.
- Freezing: to freeze, wrap the slices in cling wrap then transfer them to an airtight freezer container. You can freeze them for up to three months.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This post was originally published in August 2020. It has been updated with more information and new photos. The recipe remains the same.
LILIANA
Hi Alex. I love lemon desserts and I want to try this recipe to sell. Can I substitute the flour with oat flour? Thanks for sharing.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Liliana,
I am sorry, I haven’t tested this recipe with oat flour.
If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how you get on! Alex xo
Marie
Love this recipe. Perfectly sweet and a lovely texture and great lemony flavour.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Marie 🙂
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Alex xo
Janet Annaian
Very nice love lemon perfect thank you.
Alexandra
Thank you, Janet!
Courtney
I really loved the added flavour from the lemon in these blondies. Definitely a keeper!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Courtney!