Tested: the Chocolate Brownie that made the world stop.

Speaking about Filippo Ioco got me thinking about brownies.

Ioco's Chocolate Heaven

Nothing's right. And I've just been told that I complain to much, so I'll leave it at that. I'm not going to worry about the fact that the sun is dying, and I'm going to prove that cooking is alive and well by taking the time to make delicious brownies as prescribed by Nigella Lawson (my goddess). They're proven to cure a broken heart, to flex all muscles required to smile, and to momentarily stop time. What's more, they're easy and they're flourless, which is good, because the last thing I want is to feel bloated after eating the entire tray.

Flourless Chocolate Brownies with Hot Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients:

FOR THE BROWNIE:
225g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
225g butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
150g ground almonds
100g chopped walnuts

FOR THE 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 (optional)
1 x 15ml tablespoon golden syrup (optional)

Method:
For the brownie:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. 
• Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little. 
• 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. 
• 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. 

For the sauce:

• Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan. 
• Add the remaining ingredients, then place the pan over a gentle heat and let everything melt together. 
• Once everything has melted, stir well, take off the heat and pour into a jug to serve. 

Makes 16

*If you are like me (a poor student), you might not have everything for the sauce. That's ok! Melting down chocolate and adding a little milk does just as well.