Lemony Snicketty Yellowies

Greetings!

You may be asking, "Gee, Torrey, what HAVE you been up to?"

My reply: "Stuff".

Nothing really exciting. Just...stuff. Oh, and something happened with my mom, but that is another post (she's fine, btw).

Today, I'm here to share the recipe I just discovered and made for my mom for Mother's Day.

It's...well, if sunshine and a brownie fell in love and had an albino baby, it would taste like this recipe.

This confection is called Lemon Brownies.

I know, I know...it sounds like an oxymoron...as there is NO chocolate in these babies, and they aren't even REMOTELY brown. Even without chocolate, they have earned status as one of my all-time favorite desserts. Ever.

Yep, they're that good.

But, I was seriously not happy with their name...like when someone is named "Gertrude" and they actually look like someone who should be named "Periwinkle".

So, I renamed them to YELLOWIES. I suppose, technically, I could call them Lemon Blondies...but Yellowies is so much more...fun.

Their texture is like velvet--dense, moist, with a VERY fine crumb. They're VERY reminiscent of pound cake, only moister. They are soooooooo smooth. Barry White has nothing on these gems.

So, here is my version of the recipe I found (yeah, I tweaked it...sue me...even though mine is better).

Torrey's Lemony Snicketty Yellowies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 eggs
• 2-3 TBS lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 TBS lemon juice (maybe a bit more)
• 1-2 TBS lemon zest 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
1. In mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter ...for 3-5 minutes. Beat, beat, beat.
2. Add eggs (one at a time) and stir until incorporated, then add vanilla.
3. Using hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat until light and sort of fluffy.
4. Add lemon juice and zest. Stir well.
5. In separate bowl, mix flour and salt together.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly blended.
7. Prepare 2qt baking dish (8x8 or 7x11)--buttered and floured.
8. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. This will be VERY pale when done. Only the VERY outside of the edges will be golden brown (see photo above)...the rest will be pale yellow. Do NOT overbake this...it will turn out dry if you do. Yuck.
9. For GLAZE: combine powdered sugar and lemon zest in a bowl...Add lemon juice one tsp at a time until consistency is a little runny...but not TOO runny. 
10. Let cool COMPLETELY before spreading glaze on.
11. Spread glaze over top of brownies, and let sit in room air UNCOVERED to allow glaze to solidify. After glaze is set, cut into pieces.
12. Store in airtight container at room temperature...if they last that long. Just sayin'.

HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS: Click on the following link for instructions on high altitude baking: High Altitude Baking

VARIATIONS: You could switch out the lemon juice/zest for any other citrus...orange, lime, grapefruit. Though, if you use orange, you may want to cut back on the sugar a bit.

 Thanks for swinging by!