However much people have eaten, there is always, I’ve noticed, room for a brownie. This is a different kind of a brownie, most definitely for party-pudding, melting, fudgy and damply rich. I compound these qualities by serving it with ice cream and the Hot Chocolate Sauce that follows, but there is no need. Need is not really what we’re talking about here, though, is it?

225g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids 3 eggs, beaten

225g butter 150g ground almonds

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 100g chopped walnuts

200g caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.

2 Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little.

3 Beat the eggs into the pan along with the ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Turn into a 24cm square baking tin or, most sensibly, use a foil one.

4 Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, by which time the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey. Once cooler, cut carefully, four down, four across, into 16 squidgybellied squares.

Makes 16 squares

HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE

75g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids

125ml double cream

2 x 15ml tablespoons Camp coffee or 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 x 15ml tablespoon golden syrup

1 Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan.

2 Add the remaining ingredients, then place the pan over a gentle heat and let everything melt together.

3 Once everything has melted, stir well, take off the heat and pour into a jug to serve.

Makes enough to drizzle over 16 brownie squares

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