Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Blondies

Greetings from this sun-filled Saturday in Colorado! While we still have snow on the ground and snow more snow on the way, today is all about being present in the warmth and sunshine. So what a perfect day for baking some bright delights that take a classic duo and make them so so much better. And for a house of 2 chocolate aficionados, we consumed the entire batch in 24 hours, so I think that says a lot.

While most lemon poppyseed combos are revered for muffins, blondies lend a more rich way to consume this classic. They are then topped with a simple oat milk icing and come together so quickly you will transport to spring in no time!

Note: Meyer Lemons are sweeter than regular lemons, and SO worth it if you can get your hands on some for the recipe. If not, your brownies may come out a bit more tart.

Ingredients

Tartare

12 Meyer Lemons (Zested; Reserve the juice for lemonade or marinating chicken!)

1/4 cup poppyseeds

1 cup unsalted butter (melted)

1-2 tbsp butter (for spreading on wax paper)

1.5 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar is fine)

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (the extra egg yolk will give you a chewier brownie texture)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour (add 1/4 more if you want them to be a little more dense)

2 tbsp cornstarch (makes the texture better and gives a nice crust!)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Icing/Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp oat milk (or milk of your choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional* 1/2 tsp meyer lemon juice

Optional items:

8” - 9” Brownie pan

Parchment paper or wax paper

Stand mixer, hand mixer or

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut parchment paper to cover bottom and all sides of the brownie pan. Spread butter on the parchment paper while it is flat/before putting it in the pan (I find it’s easiest to use your hands to spread!) Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, or bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar and coconut sugar together until well blended (2-3 minutes). Add in eggs and yolk (one at a time) and vanilla. Blend for 1-2 more minutes.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients in a seperate bowl (flour, cornstarch, sea salt, baking powder) then add to egg/sugar mixture in batches. Stir in the zest from the Meyer lemons. Be careful not to over blend. It will be a fairly thick batter.

4. (While you can add the poppyseeds in with all of the batter, I prefer this step instead): Reserve 1 cup of the batter in a bowl and combine with poppyseeds. Set aside.

5. Spread (non poppyseed) batter in lined pan until evenly distributed.

6. Since the batter will be very thick, I recommend dropping the poppyseed batter in a tbsp at a time on top of the other batter. Then spread it out as much as possible or flatten with your hands.

7. If using a metal pan, bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. If using a glass baking dish, bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Once done, remove from baking pan and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

9. While the brownies are cooling, make your icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla and oat milk (or milk of your choice)

10. When the brownies are finally cool, drizzle the icing on top and allow to harden. Cut into squares and enjoy the brightness in every bite!