The Domestic Rebel

Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Desserts

Fudgy Lemon Brownies

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Fudgy Lemon Brownies stacked on parchment with lemons and glass of milkReasons How There Is An Old Woman Who Lives In My Body:

I have debilitating sciatica problems. This usually results in me limping around the house, clutching onto furniture for support and exclaiming, “My hips!” dramatically.

I go to bed at the ripe night-owl time of 8:30pm.

And wake up nice and early at 6am.

(Okay, the last one mostly has to do with the fact that my tiny dog Jack tap-dances on my bladder until I wake up, but if he didn’t, I would probably wake up around the ripe ol’ time of 6:30.)

I like pudding.

I try to avoid exercising as much as possible. See ‘sciatica problems’ and screaming ‘my hips!’.

I would wear muumuus if I could find muumuus.

I’d prefer to stay in on a Friday and Saturday night watching my stories than go out on the town.

And that’s about it. I suppose the old woman who lives in my soul is pretty cool. I don’t mind her – I’m not about that partying lifestyle, and I’m really serious about the muumuus. Maybe that’s why I wear dresses every day – they mimic that muumuu comfort.

Fudgy Lemon Brownies stacked with bite removed and lemon slicesANYWHO. Can we talk about my ageless love of these Fudgy Lemon Brownies?! They are phenomenal. Super fudgy, moist, chewy and totally brownie-like but with a glorious, bright & tart lemon twist. And unlike regular brownies, these bad boys have a thick and smooth lemon glaze on top which sends them over the top and outta this world.

Whether you’re a party animal, a night owl, an early bird or an old woman in a 25-year old’s body, you’ll love these!

Fudgy Lemon Brownies stacked with lemon slices on parchment

*adapted from here

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5 from 29 votes

Fudgy Lemon Brownies

These Glazed Fudgy Lemon Brownies are incredible! Soft, chewy, moist, fudgy and packed with fresh lemon flavor!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Bars, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 9
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Zest of two lemons
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • FOR GLAZE:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 or 9x9" baking pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until combined. Gradually add in the eggs and stir until just barely combined - do not over mix, as this will lead to tougher brownies. Lastly, stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and flour until a soft batter forms.
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for approx. 22-25 minutes, no more than that, or until the top is set and lightly golden brown. Cool completely.
  • Once cool, make your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a spreadable, pourable glaze is achieved. Pour over the bars and smooth out. Top with lemon zest. Let the glaze set, then cut into squares and serve.

Closeup of Fudgy Lemon Brownies with bite missing on parchment paper

These bars are so good! They almost remind me of lemon shortbread bars but with a fudgy, chewy brownie texture. So phenomenal!

Fudgy Lemon Brownies collageHave a sweet day!

xo, Hayley

 

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Comments

  2. 5 stars
    These look amazing! I love a moist, dense lemon dessert. I usually make a pound cake, which are nice, but this looks like something I can get after! Thanks!

    Reply

  3. haha I go to bed early too. Like if I’m not in bed by like 9pm I turn into a crazy zombie. For Real. mm I’m not about that partying lifestyle either, I feel like you’re my twin. These brownies are fantastic. Pinning them now! <3

    Reply

  5. Do you think these would be good with white chocolate chips in them? Just curious, making them today for father’s day! 🙂

    Reply

  7. I used this recipe for a group of teens haveing a night of baking challenge (kinda like food network) It was easy for them to follow and the finished product was amazing 🙂

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    I made these last night. They turned out just like your pictures (which never happens) and tasted divine!!

    Reply

  9. Made them today for Father’s Day huge hit… I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder so they were a bit mor like cake! Amazing !!! Im going to make them again and add blueberries ?

    Reply

  10. These are amazing! I doubled the recipe and baked in an 11×15 pan for a little over a half hour. Before I put them in the oven, I tossed some fresh blueberries on top and used a butter knife to sink them into the batter and smoothed the top. I also added half a vanilla bean’s worth of caviar to the glaze. These are a lemon lover’s paradise!

    Reply

  17. Thank you! I’m making this soon but I have a question… wht use the foil? What is the difference between foil and no foil? Thank you for any clearing you can give on that one. Regardless, I can’t wait to taste these beauties.

    Reply

    • Hi Anita! I always foil-line or parchment-line my baking pans. I find it bakes up properly (no sticking to the pan!) AND it’s easy clean up. Plus, you can lift them out of the pan and cut them into pretty squares, too 🙂

      Reply

  18. I’m confused or maybe I have the wrong recipe. Why do you keep saying “fudgy” when there’s no fudge in recipe

    Reply

    • Hi Sharon! It can sound confusing for sure. I say “fudgy” when describing these because they have the same fudgy texture that chocolate brownies have… but yet, there’s no chocolate in this recipe. They’re moist and have little gooey pockets, are soft and chewy, and remind me of a chocolate brownie without a trace of chocolate. Hope that explains it some!

      Reply

    • Hi Julie, I don’t have those because this perfectly fits into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan! But you could easily double it!

      Reply

  21. 5 stars
    These were the best ever! Not as messy as regular lemon bars, yet still had all that wonderful flavor. This will be my “go to” recipe for lemon bars

    Reply

  23. These brownies look AMAZING!!!! Just a question though. Does it taste good without the glaze as well or does the glacé help balance the sugary and lemony flavour? Apologies if this is a stupid question.

    Reply

    • Hi Ayra! Not a stupid question at all! I think the glaze really ties the whole thing together, and it looks pretty 🙂 You could leave it off, but I think it helps make the brownies extra delicious and special!

      Reply

  24. I know you said the glaze ties it all together but how do you think it would taste with just a dusting of powdered sugar over the top.

    Reply

  27. 5 stars
    Just saw your recipe. I am now 65, but was hurt in an industrial at age 21 & have had an “old lady” body to go with my Old Soul for 2/3 of my life. I was always the person helping in the kitchen or staying home. Drinking makes me sleepy, so why bother!! Haven’t had the disposable income to go out & party & probably wouldn’t bother even if I’d had it. I got spoiled growing up acros the street from my mom’s folks & they had 3 huge meyer lemon bushes that had grown into a sort of big hedge down their drive! We had year round lemons!!! There is a recipe in epicurious from August 2004 for Meyer Lemon Cranbery Scones! You will love them! I also have a meyer lemon jelly roll w/ fresh strawberry & filling, I will look for! Thank you. Will go check my tree in the am & see if any fruit are ready to make your yum recipe!

    Reply

    • Hi Gail! Thanks for your sweet and touching comment. I’m so glad you have loved lemons throughout your life and lucky you for having them year-round! Enjoy the brownies!

      Reply

  29. This is one of the best things that I’ve ever made. It was gone very quickly. I would make This daily if I could. It has the texture of a brownie too.

    Reply

  30. 5 stars
    Hi Hayley, I must confess, I am a “midnight baker”….on nights when I cannot sleep, I get up and bake.I ran across this recipe in the wee hours, saw how easy it is to make, simple ingredients and quick…I made them, they turned out beautiful!I used a Lisbon or Eureka type lemon, as I wanted more “lemon flavor”, and I nailed it!Didn’t change a thing! I have made your recipes before and really enjoy them.These brownies are absolutely delicious and super easy and quick. Definitely going to be in my :frequent flyer” recipe box.Thank you so much

    Reply

  31. Unreal! Truly to die for! Can’t believe how Fudgy they are ? HAD to have more then one after I cut it into squares. Hubby went nuts for them too. Thanks for the great recipe. Will definitely make again!!

    Reply

  32. I have terrible sciatica pain as well have had it for probably 6+ years. It’s awful!!!!! I am a lemon freak. Thanks for the recipe I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

  33. 5 stars
    Just made these. The center seems uncooked but when I inserted a wooden pick, it came out clean. Remembering my brownie cooking days, I know that may seem undone, but will cook through in the pan while cooling. So, I’m hoping it’s right but I’ll know in about 30 minutes I suppose. The icing is very tasty and lemony, just like I like it! The dish smells divine. I added white chocolate chips to about 1/3 of the pan.
    This was an easy recipe. I forgot to zest my lemons before chopping them in half but it worked out ok. The brownies may be cooking off because I used a dark aluminum pan along with parchment, as well. I just pinched a piece off the corner and they are super lemony and yummy! I May have to add more sugar and possibly vanilla to the icing to downplay some of the lemon bc it might overwhelm me!!

    Reply

  34. 5 stars
    These were a huge hit at my “farewell to summer” party, though I admit to making a couple adjustments. I added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to both the batter and the glaze because I like lemon desserts to be extra tart. I also added a half teaspoon of vanilla extract and a half teaspoon of lemon extract and about 3/4 tablespoon of poppy seeds into the batter. lastly, I only had half a cup of butter so I added a couple tablespoons of canola oil to get to the 2/3 cup measurement. They were very moist and “fudgy” textured, just like I was hoping!

    Reply

  35. 5 stars
    I am going to make these later today or tomorrow!!! I love lemon flavored anything! And the party girl days are long gone!!! And yes it’s my hip!!! Take care! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  36. Good morning! This is your recipe and who am I to critique it. With that said, I’m confused by the word “brownie”, brownie implies chocolate. Dont get me wrong, I’m Still coming home from work today and making a batch for my hard working coworkers today! CAN NOT WAIT! I was just curious about the word used. Thanks for listening, have a great delicious day!

    Reply

    • Hi Patty, ha yes, the name can be confusing but they are “fudgy” like a brownie would be yet they taste like lemon! You’re right, no chocolate but very similar texture to a brownie!

      Reply

  37. 5 stars
    I’ve been making this recipe for about a year & it’s always a winner. My only variation is that for the glaze, I substitute an orange an orange zest for one of the lemons. Love it!

    Reply

  39. 5 stars
    Texture was absolutely perfect, over did it on the zest though! Very over powering and i gave my husband heart burn! Better adjust my recipe next time, to be fair i did kind of use huge lemons!

    Reply

  40. Really glad I came across this while figuring out what to do with 3 lemons in the kitchen – baked them in a 8×8 at 180C for 22 mins, and I feared they were slightly underbaked upon slicing, but couldn’t really tell if it was just the fudginess… my dad loved it so I guess even if it was underbaked, it’s for the better!

    Thanks for this recipe, will definitely be making this many more times in the future!

    Reply

  41. 5 stars
    New family favorite, these are fabulous I made them for a family cookout and they were a huge hit. I did change the glaze and used a quick lemon cream cheese topping and it really added to the lemon flavor.

    Reply

  42. I have a question. You use the word “stir”and not the word “beat”, even for combining the sugar and butter. Does this mean that you don’t use a mixer, but rather do it all by hand?

    Reply

    • For this particular recipe, I do not use a mixer. I stir by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

      Reply

  43. 5 stars
    My family LOVES THEM!!! they even asked me to do the recipe again but DOUBLE, that’s how good it is. Definitely gonna do this forever!!!

    Reply

  44. Make it triplets…you described my symptoms to a “T”!!! My family doesn’t “get it”…painful shocks that I gasp!! Those lemon bars HELP!! Take care…franki

    Reply

  46. Hi! Couple questions,
    1. Is the butter salted? Because you also add salt, so would that make it too salty?
    2. Since you do not use a mixer, can I use a whisk to mix it?
    Let me know! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Rachel, yes, if you use salted butter I would omit the salt in the recipe so it isn’t too salty. And yes, a whisk is perfectly fine to mix it!

      Reply

  47. Being a single senior in a new neighborhood I know there are new neighbors waiting to try these and become my new friends, haha!
    Oh, and forget ‘mumus’! There are gorgeous ‘caftans’ available!? some for just $20. These are making a fashion come back!??

    Reply

    • I have on main question in the recipe it says zest from 2 lemon’s do I take all the zest off 2 whole lemon’s? It seems like that would be a lot. Can’t wait to make once I know about the zest.

      Thank you ?

      Reply

  48. Hello, do you think it’d be possible to replace the all purpose flour with almond flour, or some other substitute? Would the almond overpower the flavor? I want to make this but one person is gluten intolerant so it’d be nice to accommodate them.

    Reply

    • Hi CB, almond flour has a different ratio than AP flour and cannot be substituted equally. I would try a GF flour that is cup-for-cup for best results.

      Reply

  49. 5 stars
    I made these today. So yummy and easy to make. I have had a sudden craving for lemon, so trying various lemon desserts. I didn’t put the icing on top, but they work well without the icing as well. So moreish. My family are my harshest critics, and they loved them as well.

    Reply

    • Hi Kristen, I am not entirely sure as I have never worked with egg substitutes. Perhaps a flax egg may work?

      Reply

  51. Hi there,

    I really want to make these tonight but only have sweet cream salted butter. If I omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, will it taste ok? Thank you for all your wonderful recipes ❤️

    Reply

    • Hi Angelica, sorry for the delay. You can absolutely use salted butter and yes, I would omit the salt from the recipe if salted butter is used.

      Reply

  53. These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them!!! My daughter has gone dairy free so I’m wondering if you have a non-diary butter substitute that would work well for these. We often use butter flavored Crisco in cookies, but haven’t tried in a cake/bar yet. Other ideas are coconut oil, applesauce, ???

    Reply

    • Hi Susan, unfortunately I don’t have much experience with DF substitutes so I can’t say for sure. Sorry about that!

      Reply

  54. 5 stars
    Hi, these are awesome, fudgy, lemony brownies. I used salted butter and added some white chocolate chips just for fun. They came out exactly as described. I’m on a diet, so I ate only a half of one square (which cut beautifully by the way), so I think the rule is no calories if it isn’t a whole piece. Nice job Hayley, pictures are very professional. Thank you for your hard work, putting out such wonderful recipes.

    Reply

  55. How do you store these? Room temp? Curious to know because I’d love to make these and ship them to my family. They LOVE anything lemon! Hoping they can withstand shipping conditions if packed well 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Abby! They can definitely be stored at room temperature! Just let that glaze set completely.

      Reply

  57. 5 stars
    My daughter has to take me to the doctor so I’ve made her the S because she loves lemon and she loves it so thank you very much for the recipe

    Reply

  58. Instead of the glaze, what if when I brought them out of the oven I made a well in the middle of each and then when they cooled filled them with lemon curd?

    Reply

  61. 5 stars
    I made these today and can honestly say it’s a failsafe recipe – if I can bake them, anyone can! I made the mixture up with lemons from my own tree – it was fantastic to be able to use them in this way: juice and zest… I don’t normally bake but knew my dad would appreciate this recipe. It’s perfect – delicious, moist and very moreish .I’ll definitely keep putting the lemons to good use with your lovely recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply

  64. 5 stars
    I made these for a tea party baby shower. Instead of making them in an square pan, I baked them in a mini cupcake pan. The recipes made about 28 mini lemon brownies and it took about 18 minutes in a 350 degree oven, give or take a minute.
    They were a hit at the tea party, I should have made double!!

    Reply

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