Lemony Lemon "Brownies" & Pomaritas

Today I bring you another lemon Pinterest find. Apparently I'm on a lemon fix as of late! I think "Lemony Lemon" is an understatement for the amount of lemon flavor that these bars pack. Where I thought the Lemon Crinkle Cookies could use more lemon, I think these "brownies" could use less. My coworkers devoured them though, so if lemon is your thing, I say go for it!

Lemony Lemon Brownies
"Brownie" Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp lemon zest (I omitted this, and they were still super lemony!)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze Ingredients

1 rounded cup powdered sugar

4 Tbsp lemon juice 

8 tsp lemon zest (I omitted this yet again.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside. (I used bottled lemon juice. Maybe that's why they were so tart?)

2. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. (I baked these at my friend Danielle's house and therefore forgot we needed a mixer. I stirred it by hand which seemed to work out!)

Danielle always has plenty of flour on hand; that jar probably holds 3 gallons!

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

4. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry even with the yummy glaze.

Baked "brownies" on the left with a shot of our workstation on the right, complete with candle and Nook!

5. When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze set.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it set. This glaze does not harden like most.  Cut into bars, and serve!

Since I was at Danielle's house, I forgot to take thorough photos of this dessert, but you can see a nice shot at the original recipe page.


Pomaritas
As a quick side note, I'd like to mention that my friend Meagan and I recently made what I'll now call "Pomaritas!" The Pom adds a softer fruity flavor to everyone's favorite tangy beverage!

Ingredients
1 part tequila
1 part Pom juice
2 part lime margarita mix
Fresh lime juice to taste
Margarita salt for the rim!
Ice