An Easy Vegan Brownie Recipe Straight From The Great British Bake Off

Brownies are one of the greatest sweet treats out there. For starters, they're just about the easiest dessert to cook in the whole world (much easier than anything you'd see on Great British Bake Off). Secondly, they cook in no time at all, meaning the supermarket-to-mouth timeline is especially efficient.

An excellent third fact about brownies that you might not be aware of is that vegan brownie dupes are one of the most successful of all vegan bakes. Just because you forgo the eggs and the butter in your brownie, doesn't mean you'll find yourself stuck with something that tastes subpar. Which is especially great for the recently converted vegan who's still missing all things milk chocolate.

Seeing as Bake Off is back on our screens tonight, and we're in those few glorious months of the year where we all convince ourselves that a career in baking is just a few petits choux away, we decided to bring you a vegan brownie recipe straight from Prue, Paul and the gang's new cookbook. So easy is this recipe, that you've probably got most of the ingredients already. Eat up!

This egg- and dairy-free chocolate-fudge brownie is made with store-cupboard ingredients. Turn the brownies into a quick dessert with a bowl of fresh berries and a side of fresh raspberry or bitter chocolate sauce.

50g cocoa powder
175g plain white flour or white spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
175g golden caster sugar
125ml light olive oil or sunflower oil
150ml warm coffee or water
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
100g 70% dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
50g pecan or walnut halves
Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

20.5cm square brownie tin or shallow square cake tin, oiled with sunflower oil, then base-lined with baking paper.

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/ Gas 4. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, then stir in the salt and sugar.

2. Gently whisk the oil and warm coffee or water in a measuring jug, then whisk in the vinegar.

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, and stir until evenly distributed.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, spreading it evenly, and making sure the corners are properly filled. Scatter the nuts over the top, then bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted at a mid-point between the sides and the centre of the brownie comes out just clean (you’re aiming for a squidgy brownie, rather than a dry one).

5. Remove from the oven, place the tin on a wire rack and leave the brownie to cool completely before cutting it into 16 squares in the tin. Dust with icing sugar before serving, if you wish.