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    Home | Bars and Slices

    Aug 24, 2021 · Modified: Apr 3, 2022 by Mary-Lou · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Lemon Blondies with Lemon Glaze

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Sliced lemon blondies view from the top.

    These fudgy lemon blondies are rich, soft, chewy flavoured with a mix of white and brown sugar, lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze.

    Sliced lemon blondies view from the top

    If you like brownies...you will definitely like these fudgy lemon blondies or blonde brownies.

    This particular recipe is a riff on my favourite brownie recipe. What makes a blondie different from a brownie? Well, the first big difference is the distinct lack of chocolate in the actual batter. The next is that blondies are usually sweetened with brown sugar - this adds notes of caramel and butterscotch and adds moisture and chewiness.

    I found that a 50-50 mix of white and brown sugars are the perfect blend for the added lemon zest and lemon flavour for this particular recipe. For flour - I kept the amount of flour almost the same, and to account for the loss of cocoa powder, I added cornflour. The cornflour also lightens the flour, so that the result is a fudgy blondie and not a cakey one.

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    Jump to:
    • What You Need for this Recipe
    • Making the Lemon Blondies with Lemon Glaze
    • Pro Tips for this Recipe
    • Substitutions / Variations
    • Storage
    • Blondies FAQ
    • Fudgy Lemon Blondies

    What You Need for this Recipe

    Equipment

    Blondies and/or brownies don't really require any special equipment. I use a 9"x9" (22cm x 22cm) square cake tin, alternatively an 8-inch square tin or a slice pan (27cm x 18cm - 11"x7").

    A kitchen scale is essential for this recipe. Especially in the weighing of the flour. Even a 30-gram difference turns this blondie from a blondie bar to a cakey blondie. Which is even more important if making a small batch.

    Ingredients

    These blondies require:

    • Butter, salted butter in particular is what I used. I prefer baking with butter instead of margarine. Butter is always better!
    • Caster or granulated sugar and brown sugar for sweetness. This mix, in my opinion, gives the best combination of flavour and fudginess, particularly with lemon.
    • Lemon zest and lemon juice to give a delightful lemon flavour.
    • Vanilla extract is to baking what salt is to seasoning savour dishes. Use it. It makes it better.
    • Salt – if using salted butter, you can skip the salt.
    • Eggs – this recipe calls for 4 eggs. It’s the perfect amount of eggs. I prefer free-range.
    • Flour – just use plain or standard grade flour. I haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, however, I have used it in my brownie recipe.
    • Cornflour/cornstarch - adds lightness to the blondie. I've tried the recipe using only flour, and the blondies come out more cakey than fudgy. Corn starch is known as cornflour in the UK and some other commonwealth countries.
    • Icing sugar and lemon juice for the glaze.

    Refer to recipe for quantities.

    Lemon Blondies Ingredients

    Making the Lemon Blondies with Lemon Glaze

    Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-assisted.

    Step 2 - Grease and line a 9"x9" (22cm x 22cm) cake or brownie tin with baking paper. Make sure that the baking paper reaches up over the edges of the tin for easy removal of the brownie post-baking.

    Step 3 - Melt the butter in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave.

    Step 4 - Add in all the sugar and whisk to combine. Then pop the butter-sugar mixture back into the microwave for 30 seconds, whisk again and repeat 1-2 times. When you are done the sugar will have dissolved into the butter, and the mixture will have thickened. Allow to butter mixture to cool a bit.

    Lemon Blondies - sugar melted in butter

    Step 5 - Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract into the cooled butter mixture and whisk vigorously for at least 2 minutes with each addition. The butter-sugar-egg mixture will become lighter in colour.  Alternatively, you can beat the mixture using a hand-held electric beater for a minute. This step is crucial in obtaining the crackly blondie top.  

    Step 5 - eggs beaten into butter-sugar mix

    Step 6 - Add in the flour, cornflour, and lemon zest, mix until combined and spoon into the prepared tin. Knock the tin on the counter 3 to 4 times to knock out air bubbles.

    Add in the flour, cornflour, and lemon zest, mix until combined and spoon into the prepared tin. Knock the tin on the counter 3 to 4 times to knock out air bubbles.
    Step 6 - Lemon Blondie Batter in tin

    Step 7 - Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the blondie has just set. This will be dependent on your oven.

    Step 8 - Allow the blondie to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before lifting it out using the baking paper to cool completely on a wire rack.

    Step 9 - Whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a medium-thick pouring consistency to make the glaze. Drizzle over the cooled blondie. Slice into 16 to 25 pieces and enjoy!

    Whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a medium-thick pouring consistency to make the glaze. Drizzle over the cooled blondie. Slice into 16 to 25 pieces and enjoy!

    Pro Tips for this Recipe

    A scale is crucial for this recipe - a change of even 30 grams (3 tablespoons) completely changes the consistency of the lemon blondie.

    Give the brownie tin a good bash on the kitchen counter to dislodge all of the air bubbles in the batter.

    Use a sling method when lining the brownie pan, this allows for easy removal when the blondie is ready to be removed from the pan (see the step 6 photograph).

    Fan-forced or fan-assisted oven temperature must be decreased by 20°C/25F. Use an oven thermometer to determine the accuracy of your oven dial.

    Substitutions / Variations

    Some great additions to the lemon blondies:

    • A cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries (do not defrost the berries before baking, this may increase the bake time by 5 minutes).
    • A cup of white chocolate chips or chunks
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds

    Storage

    These blondies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 days.

    However, these blondies also freeze really well. Just make sure to wrap them in tin/aluminium foil before placing them into an air-tight container. They can keep in the freezer for 3 months.

    Blondies FAQ

    Are blondies supposed to be soft and gooey?

    Yes. Blondies have a soft, chewy and almost gooey centre once baked and cooled.

    How should blondies look in the middle?

    Blondies should be fairly dense, moist, soft and chewy in the middle.

    Are blondies white chocolate brownies?

    No. Not all blondie recipes contain white chocolate. The base of the blondie flavour comes from the brown sugar used

    Which came first - the blondie or the brownie?

    Historically blondies or blondie bars have existed for a full decade before brownies came on the scene.

    Blondies vs brownies

    Brownies are typically fudgy, chewy and have an intense chocolate flavour, while blondies do not contain chocolate but have notes of butterscotch and caramel - which come from the brown sugar used in the recipe.

    Don't forget to tag me @marylou_saltyginger on Instagram, #saltygingerblog with your renditions of these recipes!

    If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating! It gives me and my readers helpful feedback. If you want more recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook!

    Sliced lemon blondies view from the top.

    Fudgy Lemon Blondies

    These lemon blondies are rich, soft, chewy flavoured with a mix of white and brown sugar, lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 45 mins
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 254kcal
    Author: Mary-Lou
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    Ingredients

    Blondie

    • 200 grams butter melted
    • 200 grams caster sugar
    • 200 grams brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoon lemon zest from about 1-2 lemons
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 4 eggs
    • 40 grams cornstarch
    • 120 grams plain flour standard grade or all-purpose flour

    Lemon Glaze (Optional)

    • 60 grams icing sugar
    • 1½ tablespoons lemon juice

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-assisted.
    • Grease and line a 9"x9" (22cm x 22cm) cake or brownie tin with baking paper. Make sure that the baking paper reaches up over the edges of the tin for easy removal of the brownie post-baking.
    • Melt the butter in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave.
    • Add in all the sugar and whisk to combine. Then pop the butter-sugar mixture back into the microwave for 30 seconds, whisk again and repeat 1-2 times. When you are done the sugar will have dissolved into the butter, and the mixture will have thickened. Allow to butter mixture to cool a bit.
    • Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract into the cooled butter mixture and whisk vigorously for at least 2 minutes with each addition. The butter-sugar-egg mixture will become lighter in colour.  Alternatively, you can beat the mixture using a hand-held electric beater for a minute. This step is crucial in obtaining the crackly blondie top.  
    • Add in the flour, cornflour, and lemon zest, mix until combined and spoon into the prepared tin. Knock the tin on the counter 3 to 4 times to knock out air bubbles.
    • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the blondie has just set. This will be dependent on your oven.
    • Allow the blondie to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before lifting it out using the baking paper to cool completely on a wire rack.
    • Whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a medium-thick pouring consistency to make the glaze. Drizzle over the cooled blondie. Slice into 16 to 25 pieces and enjoy!

    Notes

    This recipe requires the zest and lemon juice of approximately one large lemon. The juice is largely dependent on the juice a lemon contains, and you may require an additional lemon.
    For a small batch of blondies, simply half this recipe and bake in a loaf tin instead.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 176mg | Sugar: 28g

    Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @marylou_saltyginger on Instagram and tag or #saltygingerblog so that I can see your creations!
    Course :Bars and Slices
    Cuisine :Global
    Keyword :Fudgy Lemon Blondies
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pay says

      September 13, 2021 at 4:40 pm

      How much corn flour
      It is not listed in the ingredients
      Please reply via email

      Reply
      • Mary-Lou says

        September 14, 2021 at 8:32 am

        Hi,

        The recipe calls for 40 grams of cornstarch, which is also known as cornflour here in New Zealand/Australia and the UK. Have sent you a mail as well.

        Regards

        Reply
    2. Erin says

      May 31, 2022 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      I followed your recipe to the letter and they came out beautifully. Absolutely delicious! Thank you

      Reply
      • Mary-Lou says

        June 01, 2022 at 9:10 am

        Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this great feedback! They make my day every single time!

        Reply

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