Lemon Blueberry Brownies

Yes, that’s right. Lemon Brownies! I’ll need to experiment with some other flavors as well in the near future, but it’s summertime so Lemon is King.

I saw a posting for Lemon Bars while I was waiting on Lemon Blueberry muffins to come out of the oven and decided to play around a bit with lemon and blueberries. It’s taken me a bit to get this nailed down, I had a few flops, but this recipe has meet with several thumbs up, murmured approvals, and sarcastic statements like “oh yeah, these are just SO bad”, nom, nom, nom.

Using a mixer makes them more “cakey” than I prefer, so I do everything by hand. You all, of course, are free to fiddle with this as you please and come up with whatever works best for you.

The batch I made for yesterday’s vendor show were some of the best I’ve made yet. I put on a bit more glaze than I have in the past and I think that makes a difference. I plan on playing with this recipe a bit more and will post results as I get them.

At this point I do not have a picture of these, I failed to snap a picture before I gave them all away. I will grab a picture of the next batch and add it to this post.

Equipment needed:

     Medium mixing bowl

     Small mixing bowl

     Whisk

     Wooden spoon or stiff spatula

     8”x8” baking pan (9”x9” works too)

     Parchment paper or baking spray

     Spatula for scraping and spreading the glaze

Groceries needed:

Brownies

     ½ cup butter, melted

     ¾ cups sugar, (granulated)

     1 packet TrueLemon^TM or Zest of ½ Lemon

     2 eggs (large or extra large)

     1 tblsp lemon juice

     ¾ cup flour

     ½ tsp baking powder

     2 cups frozen blueberries (or use fresh)

Glaze

     ¾ to 1 cup powered sugar

    1.5 to 2 tblsp lemon juice

    1 packet TrueLemon^TM or Zest of ½ Lemon

The glaze measurements depend on how thick a glaze you want. I used 1 cup powered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for a thicker glaze. It’s still a light glaze, not a frosting but it packs a bit more lemon-y punch.

Full disclosure: I do not get any money from the True Lemon^TM folks, but I have found their product to be a really wonderful addition to my baking pantry. The blueberries I use are frozen Wild Maine Blueberries that I pick up at CostCo^TM. They have amazing flavor, and are a bit smaller, but oh-so-yummy! 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F
2. Line the baking pan with parchment paper OR spray with baking spray OR butter and flour pan
3. Melt the butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave
4. Place the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and whisk until well blended
5. Add the True Lemon^TM or lemon zest to the mixing bowl and whisk very lightly
6. Add the 2 eggs, lemon juice, and baking powder and whisk until well blended
7. Lift the whisk from the bowl, letting the liquid drip into the bowl, then set aside
8. Add the flour and using the wooden spoon, mix until fully incorporated
9. Add in the blueberries and gently mix in
10. Pour the mixture into the baking pan
11. Bake for 25-35 minutes (my oven works best at 32 minutes), Let cool completely before making the glaze.

To make the glaze:

1. Using a clean whisk and the small mixing bowl, place the powered sugar, True Lemon^TM or lemon zest, and lemon juice into the bowl.
2. Mix until smooth
3. Pour the glaze on the cool brownies
4. Use the spatula to evenly spread out the glaze
5. Let sit until the glaze firms up a bit; you can “rush” this step a bit by putting the brownies into the fridge to set up

Cut when ready and prepare to get some sticky fingers from the glaze. These don’t last long though, so enjoy while you have them!