Coffee & hazelnut brownies

This is my favourite-ever brownie recipe, as it delivers on every possible level of deliciousness, with rich flavours of hazelnut, coffee and chocolate, and that essential pinch of sea salt. Here, I've used hazelnut-flavoured coffee and dark chocolate to ramp up the nuttiness, but any strong coffee and plain chocolate will work.

Drizzled with extra-dark chocolate, sprinkled with a little more sea salt, and topped with toasted hazelnuts, these are dark, decadent and absolutely irresistible. Of course, if you're not a fan of hazelnuts, you can use whichever nuts take your fancy – walnuts and pecans work especially well.

To make these plant-based, I've replaced the egg with a mix of ground flax and chia seeds, but you can just use flax, if you like. You can also swap the flour for gluten-free if necessary. Although there's no reason it shouldn't work, I've yet to try this particular recipe with gluten-free flour, so if you give it a go I'd love to hear what you think!

SERVES:
approx 16

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the brownies

2 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp chia seeds

8 tbsp strong brewed coffee

1 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped – I used hazelnut flavour

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

¼ cup cocoa powder or raw cacao

7 tbsp vegan butter

¾ cup soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

To finish

50g dark chocolate

Good pinch sea salt

3 tbsp toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking dish with greaseproof paper.
In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax, chia seeds and coffee, and set aside.
Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl isn't touching the water. Add the chopped dark chocolate and melt, stirring occasionally.
In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, and cocoa powder, and set aside.
Using a mixer or electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Keeping the mixer on a low speed, gradually add in the coffee mixture. It will curdle at first, but don't panic!
Add the vanilla bean paste and melted chocolate, whisking until thoroughly combined and glossy. Turn off the mixer, and fold through the flour mixture and toasted hazelnuts.
Pour the mixture into your lined baking dish, and bake for 30 mins. It will seem undercooked, but will firm up once cooled. If you prefer your brownies slightly more cooked, bake for a maximum of 5 more mins.
Remove your brownies from the oven and allow to cool in the baking dish, ideally for a few hours.
To serve, melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle it over the brownies. Sprinkle over the sea salt and hazelnuts, and cut into squares.