1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Position oven rack to middle of oven.

2.Lightly spray with cooking spray one 8″ x 8″ glass baking pan. Line with parchment paper and extend paper over two edges of the baking pan for easy lift after baking. Lightly spray parchment with cooking spray. Set aside.

3. Zest 2 lemons  with microplane or small grater, set aside in small bowl.  Cut both lemons in half and squeeze juice to equal 1/4 cup for the brownies. Any leftover juice should be reserved for the lemon glaze. Zest the third lemon and reserve for garnish. If you don’t want to buy the third lemon for zest garnish that is optional.

4.In bowl of food processor with blade attachment, add 1/4 cup sugar and zest of 2 lemons. Pulse until sugar turns a pretty yellow. Remove from bowl and place in small bowl to add to the batter.

5. In medium mixing bowl, add softened butter, lemon sugar and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Using a hand mixer with beater attachments, beat until light and fluffy. Add 2 whole eggs and one yolk one at a time, beating after each addition.

6.Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and lemon and vanilla extracts- 1 teaspoon each. Beat until mixture is blended. Note batter will look curdled, it ‘s ok when you add the flour it will become smooth.

7.In medium bowl, add 1-1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoons salt. Whisk together to blend. Add half of the flour to the batter, fold in with a rubber spatula, add remaining flour and continue to fold until all is incorporated. Be sure to scape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake in oven 350° F for 26 minutes. Longer if the center is not done. No more than 30 minutes. To check for doneness, insert toothpick into center of brownies, when it is removed the toothpick should come out clean. If you have a few crumbles that is ok, better to underbake than over bake for tenderness.

9.Remove from oven, let brownies sit 5 minutes on a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, carefully lift the brownies using the parchment handles and place on back on cooling rack to completely cool. Once cool, place in freezer 15 minutes to firm before adding glaze.

10. Add glaze right before serving. If freezing ahead, wrap brownies securely in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze until needed.  When ready to serve make lemon glaze, and serve at room temperature.

Lemon Glaze & Zest Garnish

In small mixing bowl, add  1 cup confectioners sugar and 1-1/4 tablespoons of lemon juice from lemon juice reserved or third lemon. Stir to until smooth and creamy. Glaze should be medium thickness. If too thick, add tiny bit of water or lemon juice, if to thin add additional 1 teaspoon of confectioners sugar until desired thickness.

Pour glaze over uncut brownies, sprinkle with lemon zest if desired. Cut into desired cake sizes. I cut cakes into 1″ x 1″ slices making 25 servings. Or you can cut larger 2″ x 2″ slices making 16 servings.

Serve at room temperature.