High-protein chocolate and hazelnut brownies

Chocolate brownies are generally a big hit but these have the added bonus of being just a little bit more nutritious than a regular version, thanks to a secret ingredient. It’s actually a tin of cannellini beans, but sshhhh, nobody will notice.

Ingredients Makes 12 generous brownies (cut into 16 if you prefer)

400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 75g butter, cut into cubes 3 large eggs 150g soft brown sugar 75g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder Half tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tbsp vanilla extract 100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan temperature)/ Gas 4. Grease and line a 25cm square baking tin with baking paper.

2. Add the drained beans to the bowl of a food processor and whizz until they are ground to a fine crumbly paste.

3. Add two-thirds of the chocolate to a heat-proof bowl, along with the butter and set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Allow to melt, stirring together until combined.

4. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, pour into the food processor and crack in the eggs. Whizz together to a really smooth puree. Then add the sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla and process together until smooth. 5. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin, levelling with a table knife. Finally scatter over the hazelnuts and the rest of the chocolate. 6. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until the top is set and the brownie is just starting to come away from the edge of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin, before removing and cutting into squares.