CK's Kitchen: Lemon brownies a citrus dessert

Unfortunately for my waistline, there is a pan of beautifully baked, dark chocolate brownies on my counter nearly every week thanks to my daughter. Even out of the Betty Crocker box, they are very hard to resist because she's perfected the baking time, giving her brownies that ideal fudgy, chewy texture. But mom is the OG baker around here and this recipe for lemon brownies was the ideal way to flex (how the kids say show off) with a unique confection I had never seen in nearly 50 years on this sugar-loving planet. I was about to go where no baker I know has ever gone. I knew this would be the most lovely dessert for my nephew's virtual wedding reception. I'll explain … COVID vs. Cupid The pandemic has not been kind to those wanting to tie the knot. While so many brides and grooms have postponed their vows to have safer and more traditional ceremonies and receptions, some have decided to take the marital plunge anyway. Judgement aside, I hope this was my first and last time attending a family wedding via Zoom. I hosted a watch party at my place and we made the best of it. But I wanted to be there to beam like a proud aunt in the audience and cheer way too loud when this adorable couple had their first kiss as husband and wife. Instead, we cheered like idiots, miles away on mute while these brownies baked in the oven. In fact, I was still mixing up the batter when my sister and nieces first arrived. They instantly were intrigued. "Kind of like lemon bars but brownies?" my sister inquired. "Yes, sort of. A brownie texture," I replied, furiously zesting a lemon — always the worst part about making a citrus dessert. To glaze or not to glaze The batter was interesting because of the room-temp eggs, which I had to fake by putting the eggs in warm water, and one yolk, as well as cornstarch in the dry mixture. I did a bit of research to learn that when added to cake, cookie and shortbread recipes, cornstarch helps create a crumbly and tender dessert-like texture. I baked my brownies in a 9-inch-by-9-inch pan for about 40 minutes. At this point, they had a light golden brown coloring and toothpicks came out clean. I chose to skip the glaze because it's bathing suit season and every calorie counts. When I cut into the pan, they seemed a bit underdone but once I took a bite of this warm brownie, everything made sense. A phenomenal dense, crumbly texture with lots of lemon flavor. I was wowed, and so was my family. My sister even texted me asking for the recipe. When you make these lemon brownies, and you know you're going to make them, it's important to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Happy baking! Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. Lemon brownies 1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) unsalted butter, melted 1¾ cups (350g) light brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs, room temperature 1 large egg yolk 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2½ cups (285g) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt Glaze (optional) 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons water, or lemon juice (if you want more lemon flavor) 1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9-inch-by-9-inch pan by lining it with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour). (You could use a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan for more servings, but the bars will be thinner.) 2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir well. 3. Add the eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. 4. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. 5. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. 6. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture until completely combined. 7. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until the edges are turning golden brown. (If you are using a 9x13-inch pan, bake for 25-30 minutes.) 8. Allow brownies to cool before glazing. 9. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and water and whisk until smooth. 10. Pour the glaze over the cooled brownies and serve. SOURCE: iambaker.net