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Lemon Coconut Blondies are thick and chewy like a blondie but made with coconut, lemon, and white chocolate. They are a great dessert bar for spring or anytime you need a lemon and coconut fix!
Bright and citrusy coconut lemon bars are a great way to put a spin on a classic blondie. I’m pretty much obsessed with lemon, and these lemon blondies have been on the list for quite a while.
I basically took my favorite toffee blondies and turned them into lemon white chocolate blondies. It’s so fun to take a recipe and give it a complete makeover to create something new, and these chewy, thick blondies are all about the lemon, coconut, and white chocolate.
Lemon Coconut Blondie Highlights
Instead of brown sugar, I use white sugar, and I add coconut and lemon juice and zest. They baked up dense and chewy, almost like a cake. But they’re a bar. Let’s call them a cakar. Or a barake. Or, maybe we should stick with Lemon Coconut Blondies.
Because lemon and white chocolate should be married and have children, I frosted these with a white chocolate frosting and added a coconut topping for a finishing touch.
They are wonderful all year, but they are the perfect springtime dessert. They’re bright, lemony, and so delicious.
Table of Contents
Lemon Blondie Ingredients
- Butter: use softened unsalted butter
- Sugar: I use both brown sugar granulated sugar in this cookie bar
- Eggs and Vanilla Extract: typical in blondies
- Lemon: Lemon juice, lemon extract AND lemon zest give these a super punch of lemon
- Baking powder: I know cookies typically use baking soda but I always use baking powder in my blondie recipes
- Salt and All-purpose flour: typical dry ingredients in blondies. Be sure to measure your flour correctly.
- Mix-Ins: Shredded sweetened coconut and white chocolate chips add texture and flavor
- Glaze: Powdered sugar, lemon juice, and heavy whipping cream make a simple glaze for the top.
How to Make Lemon Blondies
1. Cream: In a large bowl, cream the butter and both kinds of sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and extract and beat until combined.
2. Mix: Add the zest, baking powder, salt, and flour and mix to combine. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
3. Press: Press the dough into a prepared 9×13” baking pan. Bake the bars for 18 to 23 minutes or until the bars are lightly golden around the edges and the center is a little jiggly.
Recipe Tips
- The dough is very sticky so coat your hands with cooking spray to make it easy to press the dough into the pan.
- Be careful not to overbake the bars. They should still be a little jiggly in the center when you take them out – they will continue to bake in the pan after removing them from the oven.
- Lemon coconut blondies should be stored in the refrigerator once they’re cooled. They will keep for three days, or you can freeze them for up to a month.
Lemon Coconut Bars Variations
- Love coconut? Add a ½ teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter.
- Not a fan of white chocolate? Feel free to omit the white chocolate chips.
- Prefer them less lemony? Replace part or all of the lemon juice with milk in the glaze.
If you need a little sunshine in your life, make a batch of these coconut lemon bars. They have the best blondie texture with bright flavors from the lemon and coconut. Enjoy!
FAQ
You’ll know they’re done when they’ve just lost their glossy sheen. They may still be a bit jiggly – these are better under done than over so they achieve ultimate fudginess.
Nope – these are good enough with or without the glaze.
Good question – yes, if you want a rich lemon flavor. Otherwise they won’t be as lemony. Be sure to buy pure lemon extract, not artificial.
That’s because you probably over baked them. The longer they bake the more cake like they will become.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Lemon Coconut Blondies Recipe
Ingredients
Blondies
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (68g) shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cups (180g) white chocolate chips
Glaze
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
- Additional coconut, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and lemon extract and beat until combined. Add lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and flour and mix. Stir in coconut and white chocolate chips.
- Press into prepared pan (dough is sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray to avoid it sticking to your hands).
- Bake for about 18-23 minutes or until the bars just lose their glossy sheen and are light golden around the edges. Be careful not to overcook – the center will still be jiggly when you take these out of the oven and they will finish cooking and firming up as they cool.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in a single layer for up to 1 month.
- Make the glaze: whisk all glaze ingredients together until pourable. Drizzle over bars and sprinkle with additional coconut. Let glaze set.
Recipe Notes
- Add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract in addition to (or in replacement of) lemon extract.
- Omit white chocolate chips, if preferred.
- Regular or non-dairy milk can be used in the icing, but you will probably need less and the icing will be thinner and less white.
- Feel free to replace any or all of the lemon juice in the icing with more milk if preferred.
- If you want to add flavor to the icing, you can add 1/8 teaspoon lemon or coconut extract.
Recipe Nutrition
Coconut Lemon Blondies are a fun Easter treat or springtime dessert! Such a refreshing flavor combination with just the right amount of sweetness!
Just curious how a 9×9 pan produces 24 bars? I just made these and decided to use a 9×13. I haven’t tried them yet. They seem to have worked out, only a little thinner. Maybe should’ve doubled it. I’m not good at adapting recipes.
I’m sorry about that Jodi! I’m pretty sure the 9×9 is a typo and I’m sorry for that. It’s been awhile, but I’m pretty sure I made them in a 9×13 pan to begin with, which would yield the 24 bars.
Hello Dorothy, these look delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe. Are you able to let me know exactly what type of flour and exactly what type of coconut you use please? I’m a bit scared to guess! Thanks, Cat.
So good, Dorothy! Thanks for bringing these to my attention! Pinned. 🙂 I have a recipe like this for my cookbook. No white chocolate and a lot different, but the same flavors!
Lemon and coconut are SO good together! Thanks for the pin Sally!
Hi Dorothy, so glad to have come across your wonderful blog. I decided to start here with your lemon coconut blondies because I have a ton of lemons to use and am always looking for a great new lemon recipe. This one sounds delicious. Your photos are beautiful and I am looking forward to checking out more of your recipes! Danielle with Welcome Company
Welcome Danielle! Thanks so much and I hope you love them!
Making these today!
I hope you like them!!
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