What’s a Lemonie you ask? A Lemonie is wonderful soft and somewhat dense lemon bar; but not in the sense one normally thinks of a lemon bar. Calling them a lemon brownie seems kind of misleading. Well imagine if a lemon bar and a shortbread cookie had a love child. The texture is meltingly yielding while still somewhat dense- but when you bite into it, its tender and the tart lemon glaze lends the perfect bit of bright punch of flavor. I have a ginormous lemon tree in my backyard and try to do it justice by coming up with as many lemon treats as possible. Right now my tree is dumping lemons as fast as it can while Spring is on our doorstep. It always makes me sad this time of year as I wish I could have lemons all year round. I just love having a lemon tree in our backyard. But all good things usually ebb and flow and my lemons are no exception.
“Lemonies”
~ 16 bars
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large whole egg + one egg yolk
1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
2 Cups all purpose flour + 1 Tbsp.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan w/ parchment paper on both sides so you have at least a 2 inch overhang. Spray w/nonstick spray.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and yolk and mix until homogenous. Add in the zest and lemon juice and mix. Add in the dry ingredients and mix them by hand w/ a spatula as to not overmix. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for ~ 25-30 mins. or until set and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. While the bars are baking mix up the glaze because you’ll want to pour the glaze over them while still warm. Remove the bars from the oven and set over a wire rack to cool. Pour the glaze immediately out of the oven or w/in a few minutes. Its advantageous to use oven mitts and grab the sides of the pan and tilt it back and forth to let the glaze flow evenly. Allow to cool completely then set in the fridge (to allow the cut easier when cold). Cut into bars.
Lemon Glaze:
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
5 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
In a bowl whisk the sugar and lemon juice until smooth and no lumps. If the glaze starts to harden before you pour it, just re whisk gently; try to avoid vigorously whisking as to avoid air bubbles.
