← Nouns Cooking · Plant-Based

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Ground flaxseed (linseed)
• 5 tbsp Water
• 150 g dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped
• 80 g Coconut oil, melted
• 200 g caster sugar
• 60 ml Unsweetened plant milk (soy, oat or almond)
• 1½ tsp Vanilla extract
• 125 g plain flour
• 40 g Cocoa powder
• ½ tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C fan. Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper. Stir the flaxseed and water together and leave for 5 min to thicken into a gel.
2. Melt 100 g of the chocolate with the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave), stirring until smooth.
3. Whisk the sugar, plant milk, vanilla and flax gel into the warm chocolate until glossy.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and fold until just combined. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. The batter will be thick.
5. Spread into the tin and bake for 25–30 min, until the top looks set and cracked but a skewer comes out with sticky crumbs.
6. Leave to cool completely in the tin, at least 1 hour, before cutting into 12 squares; they firm up as they cool.

Tips

• Check the chocolate label for milk, which hides in many dark chocolates.
• A pinch of instant coffee in the melted chocolate deepens the flavour without tasting of coffee.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Love and Lemons Minimalist Baker BBC Good Food