Crinkle Top Lemon Blondies. – Half Baked Harvest

Crinkle Top Lemon Blondies —sweet, buttery, and swirled with rich brown butter. These blondies are generously iced, perfectly chewy, and honestly better than any bakery lemon bar.

They’re chewy and crinkly with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor, made with sweetened lemon sugar, deep brown sugar, and subtle hints of vanilla and caramelized butter.

Each bar melts in your mouth, topped with a creamy brown butter lemon icing and a final dusting of lemon sugar for a sparkly, citrusy finish. These are the blondies everyone will be asking for again and again.

This is the year I’m experimenting and having fun baking with lemon. I didn’t grow up thinking lemon desserts were worthy of my time and carried that belief into adulthood. But slowly, over the years, I’ve discovered the deliciousness of a sweet lemon treat. And after learning that my littlest brother, Oslo, loves lemon desserts, I’m now ecstatic about creating even more lemony sweets!

Watching little Oslo devour these bars with so much happiness completely melted my heart. These lemon blondies have officially climbed to the top of my “favorites” list!

After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about lemon desserts. Originally, I just wanted to make a simple lemon bar—something I didn’t have a recipe for yet and that felt fresh and new. I think I was also feeling a little extra inspired by these sunny springtime days!

But let’s be real: blondies always have more fun. So I set out to develop the perfect lemon blondie recipe. And you guys… they are just scrumptious. We’re talking crinkly tops, the deep richness of brown butter, bright lemony goodness, a touch of vanilla, and dreamy swirls of vanilla bourbon white chocolate (I found the best bars at Whole Foods).

I know you all will love these!

Here are the details

Ingredients

• Lemon zest
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs – Make sure they are at room temperature and not at all chilled
• Salted butter
• White chocolate – I use Milkboy Swiss Bourbon Vanilla Chocolate Bars
• Vanilla
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt

Ingredients for the Icing

• Salted butter – lightly browned on the stove
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla
• Powdered sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest

Steps

Step 1: the lemon sugar

Mix the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar. This will release the lemon’s oils, infusing more flavor into the sugar.

Mix in the brown sugar.

Step 2: the eggs

The key to adding the eggs is to really whisk them first.

Whisking the eggs before mixing them into the blondie batter creates air within the eggs that helps create that crinkly top. It might seem like an unnecessary step and a waste of a clean bowl, but just trust me on this one!

Add the lemon sugar mixture to the eggs.

Step 3: lightly brown the butter and mix with eggs

To do this, add the cold, salted butter to a skillet. I like to use a cast-iron skillet.

Let the butter sizzle and just lightly turn brown over medium heat. Now, mix the warm butter into the eggs and sugar, constantly whisking until a smooth, glossy batter forms. The warmth helps dissolve the sugars.

Whisk in the white chocolate, allowing some of the finely chopped chocolate to begin to get melty. Add the vanilla.

Step 4: finish the batter and bake

Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until the batter is very smooth.

Use a 9×9-inch square brownie pan for these. I baked mine for exactly 30 minutes.

Step 5: the icing

Once the blondies have cooled, make the tangy lemon icing.

Mix a small amount of browned butter with lemon juice, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Add water to thin the icing as needed. Pour the icing over the blondies. It’s so pretty!

The final step is to sprinkle the lemon zest and sugar mix over the blondies. Beyond delicious! Have fun and enjoy some sweet lemony blondies. Little Oslo’s favorite dessert!

Looking for other sweet recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

Iced Lemon Loaf

5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake

Dirty Horchata Tres Leches Cake

Lemon Chai Cake

Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake

Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting

Lastly, if you make these Crinkle Top Lemon Blondies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!