As summertime rapidly approaches, C Magazine has taken two popular recipes, lemonade and brownies, and put a fun summertime spin on their flavors. From bright and refreshing orange blossom lemonade to earthy and chewy matcha brownies, these recipes will surely make any summer day even brighter!  

Orange Blossom Lemonade

Drink mix:

2 cups water

¾ cup lemon juice (~4 lemons)

Ice

Simple syrup:

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

1. To make the simple syrup, stir together water, sugar and orange blossom water over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
2. To make the drink mix, combine the lemon juice, water and as much ice as you would like in a large pitcher. 
3. Mix in the simple syrup to taste.

Matcha Mochi Brownies

Brownie layer:

½  cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons matcha powder 

½ white chocolate chips

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

Mochi layer:

1 cup glutinous rice flour (plus extra for dusting)

½  cup sugar

1 cup water

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375℉.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, matcha and butter until smooth.
3. Mix in flour just until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. 
4. Fold in white chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter.
5. In a separate medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, stir together rice flour, sugar and water until smooth. 
6. Place a damp paper towel over the bowl and microwave it for two minutes.
7. Mix the mochi mixture to reincorporate all of the ingredients. Then, place the bowl back into the microwave for another two minutes.
8. Dust a clean work surface with rice flour and turn your mochi mixture out onto it.
9. Use a rolling pin to flatten out the mochi until it’s about half an inch thick, and then set it aside.
10. Line an 8 in. x 4 in. loaf pan with parchment paper, and press about half of your brownie mixture into the bottom of the pan.
11. Slice mochi as needed to fit the shape of the loaf pan, and then layer it on top of the initial brownie layer.
12. Press the remaining brownie mixture on top of the layer of mochi, making sure to spread it out to reach all sides of the pan.
13. Bake the brownies at 375℉ for 40-50 minutes, or until the middle looks set and semi-dry. If at any point the surface of the brownies is browning too quickly, pull the pan out of the oven and cover it with aluminum foil then put the brownies back in to finish cooking. 

Photos courtesy of Milena Rodriguez