1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a shallow 20 cm (8 in.) square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Break up the chocolate and place it in a large heatproof bowl with the margarine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Leave to melt, then remove from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. Stir in the caster sugar, dark brown sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder, and stir until evenly blended. Do not overmix.
4. Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until risen but still slightly soft in the middle—a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. The surface will look cracked. It is important not to overcook or the brownies will be dry.
5. Leave brownies in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool. When cold, peel off the lining paper and cut into 16 squares. If possible, wrap the fudgy chocolate brownies in foil and leave until the next day before eating. They can be kept like this for 3–4 days.

preparation time 15 mins
cooking time 35 mins
makes 16 brownies

PER BROWNIE

157 calories
2 g protein
8 g total fat
2 g saturated fat
40 mg cholesterol
20 g total carbohydrate
14 g sugars
0.4 g fibre
41 mg sodium

These fudgy chocolate brownies are a healthier version of a traditionally high-fat favourite. The fat content is reduced by substituting cocoa powder for some of the chocolate. Cocoa powder contains 5 times as much iron as chocolate.