These Lemon Blueberry Blondies with Icing are a bright summer spin on the classic chocolate chip blondie. The batter has a tangy lemon flavor with bursts of juicy blueberries throughout with a sweet, tart lemon cream cheese glaze on top. Add these blueberry blondies to your repertoire for the best summer treat - they're sure to be a hit!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- This easy blondie recipe is easy to riff on. You can substitute other fresh berries or add your favorite nut for a little extra crunch. Try my Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies for another tasty version!
- The fruity flavors make these bars perfect for warm weather snacking.
- These blueberry lemon blondies are easy to pack up and bring to your next picnic or trip to the beach.
- You can use frozen blueberries in these blondies to make them any time of the year, just like my Blueberry Cake Donuts!
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Ingredients
- Unsalted butter will keep these blondies nice and moist while also providing delicious flavor. Measure it, melt it, and let it cool slightly so that it mixes well with the other ingredients (and doesn't cook the egg).
- Lemon zest is added into the batter and the icing to compliment the sweet fruity flavor in these blueberry blondies. You'll need 1 or 2 medium lemons, washed and zested.
- Blueberries are the star of this recipe! You can use fresh or frozen. If using fresh blueberries, be extra careful mixing them into the batter since they'll burst much easier than frozen ones. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them.
- Softened cream cheese is mixed into the icing because who doesn't love a delicious lemon cream cheese frosting?
See recipe card below for full ingredient measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make these into raspberry rose blondies by swapping out raspberries for the blueberries and adding ¼ teaspoon rose water in place of the vanilla.
- For a richer version of these lemon blueberry cookie bars, add in ½ cup white chocolate chips.
- If you aren't a fan of lemon desserts, turn these into birthday cake blondies by omitting the lemon zest and adding ½ cup rainbow sprinkles to the blondie base and over the top of the glaze.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Equipment
This blueberry blondies recipe requires a few simple tools to make the perfect treat.
- Mixing bowls
- 8x8 inch square baking pan
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- A microplane for zesting the lemon
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Blondies
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, and melted butter until the temperature cools and everything is fully combined, about 2-3 minutes. Then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Step 2: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the blueberries and toss gently to coat.
Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain. Spread the blondie batter in an even layer into a parchment or greased foil-lined 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350°F until the edges are tan, about 25-30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
Step 4: To make the icing, mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, lemon zest, and milk in a separate bowl until smooth. Drizzle icing over the cooled blondies and allow to set.
Expert Tips
Tip #1 - It's important to allow the melted butter to cool slightly before adding your egg to make sure the egg don't scramble in your batter! Mixing it into the sugar will help cool it down, but still check that it's cool enough before adding the egg. A good way to test the temperature is to feel the outside of the bowl - it should be at or slightly above room temperature but not hot to the touch.
Tip #2 - Tossing the blueberries in the dry mixture before mixing in with the wet ingredients helps ensure the blueberries are evenly distributed throughout your blondies and won't all sink to the bottom.
Tip #3 - Leave a 2-3 inch overhang of parchment or foil on at least 2 sides of the pan to help you easily lift the blueberry bars out before cutting. This is sometimes referred to as a parchment sling!
Recipe FAQs
Blondies and brownies are both cookie bars with one key difference - chocolate. Brownies use melted chocolate and/or cocoa powder in the batter while blondies don't have chocolate mixed throughout the batter.
These blondies are more dense and fudgy and less cakey. The center may be slightly gooey but should not be runny.
Lemon zest is the very outer part of the lemon peel that contains natural oils that hold lemon flavor. After washing and drying your lemons, use a zester to grate the zest off of the lemon.
Storage
Room Temperature: The lemon blueberry blondies without icing can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Freezer: Before icing, store cooled, baked blondies in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, bring the blondies to room temperature and drizzle icing over the top.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Blondies with Icing
Equipment
- 8 inch square pan
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil recommended
- Mixing bowls
- Scale/measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Zester
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Blondies
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest packed
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter melted, warm
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned & leveled
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 g) cream cheese softened
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Blondies
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment or foil, extending up and over the sides (if using foil or just the pan, grease lightly with baking spray or butter).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest and warm melted butter until the mixture is room temperature and homogenous (2-3 minutes). Stir in the egg and vanilla extract well.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the mixture.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones and then carefully press the thick batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake on the middle rack until the edges are tan and the center looks mostly set (about 25-30 minutes). Let them cool in the pan and then lift them out by grabbing the sides of the parchment. Finish cooling on a wire rack.
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, lemon zest and milk until smooth. Drizzle on top of the cooled blondies for an extra sweet treat!
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Brooke Testerman says
Does the glaze harden?
Kayla Burton says
It should get dry but not very hard
Jessica says
I've made these 3 times now. So easy to put together, the fresh fruit really shines. I double the recipe, and use a 9×11 glass pan with parchment. They were a hit at a family get together, and now my husband likes having them packed in his work lunches.
Kayla Burton says
Thank you, Jessica! I'm thrilled to hear you and your family are enjoying them so much 🙂
Paula says
I made these for some friends recently and they were super moist and delicious. Blueberries and lemon are a great combo and these blondies will become a regular recipe for me!