Baked treats are rather rare at Nicola's - she prefers her kids to enjoy fruit and vegetables as snacks - though if she does bake, it's usually dairy-free and when this brownie appears from the oven, Noah's face beams widely.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup self-raising flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsweetened apple puree
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 26cm x 20cm slice tin.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the apple puree and add the nuts and chocolate chips. Stir the ingredients together gently. Pour into the prepared tin.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the centre feels set, yet fudgy. Allow to cool on a cake rack and dust with icing sugar before cutting into pieces and serving. Store in an airtight container.