Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Lemon Blondies - Baking GALS Round 22


(Before the glaze)
It’s summer in DC and it is H.O.T.  Well, it’s been hotter, but the humidity today is the kind that makes your skin feel damp as soon as you step outside.  Weather like that makes me think of something refreshing…other than a cocktail…like lemons!  I love almost any lemon flavored dessert – as awful as the texture is, I’d probably even like lemon flavored flan, and that says a lot.

One texture I can always go for?  Soft, dense, chewy brownies.   In the summer, it’s a brownie sundae all the way.   If I could ship a sundae overseas I’d do it as I’m sure it would go over well, but I had to think of some way to get that brownie texture and make the dessert refreshing – enter lemon blondies.  As I’m sure you all know, blondies are basically just brownies without the chocolate – a version of a bar cookie...sort of.

Anyway, let’s get to business – I saw this recipe a few months ago and knew I’d have to give it a try soon.  I’m so glad I did.  And I’m so glad I was shipping them out the next morning as I’m pretty sure I could have sat with a spoon, and maybe some champagne, and devoured the entire pan.  Note to self:  don’t make these again unless they are for the express purpose of serving others! 

If you even remotely like lemon, give ‘em a shot.  You probably don’t even need the glaze, these are far from dry, but add it anyway, you won’t regret it.

Perfectly browned!
Recipe adapted from Let’s Dish: (www.letsdishrecipes.com)

Ingredients
For the Blondies:

§       1 ½ cups flour
§       1 tsp. salt
§       1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
§       1 ½ cups granulated sugar
§       1 Tbsp.  grated lemon zest
§       4 eggs
§       2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the Glaze:
§       1 cup powdered sugar
§       2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
§       2 tsp. lemon zest (I omitted  for a super smooth texture)

Instructions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 or 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2.      In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt then set aside.
3.      Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4.      Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5.      Stir in lemon juice.
6.      Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three parts, mixing until fully incorporated.
7.      Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.
8.      Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest (if using) in a small bowl.
9.      Spread over blondies and let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.


*Note – I made 1.5x this recipe and used a 9”x13” pan.  Works just fine, but you may have to increase the baking time by a few more minutes.  Add 3-5 additional minutes at a time and check with toothpick.

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