These lemon bars have the dense shape of a brownie but use zest and juice instead of chocolate. Lemon appears in both the batter and glaze, so zest the fruit before juicing it and measure each portion separately.
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 cup icing sugar
Prepare the batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter and set it aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, granulated sugar, sea salt, and softened butter until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the batter in the prepared dish and bake for 23–25 minutes, until the edges turn golden. Avoid overbaking, which can dry the bars.
Cool and glaze
Let the brownies cool completely. Sift the icing sugar, then whisk it with the remaining 8 teaspoons lemon zest and 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Spread the glaze over the cooled surface with a rubber spatula. Let the glaze set before cutting the brownies into bars.
