Step 1

Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C fan / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4

Step 2

Coarsely grate or shred your courgettes / zucchini before chopping the courgette into smaller pieces.

Step 3

Place in a colander inside a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave to drain while you get on with the Brownies.

Step 4

Place the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes in 30 second bursts until melted. Add the vanilla extract and stir until chocolate is nice and smooth and leave to cool.

Step 5

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric mixer until doubled in volume (about 5 to 8 minutes depending on your mixer)

Step 6

Pour the cooled chocolate mix into your egg mix carefully and gently fold together with a silicone spatula.

Step 7

Fold in the courgettes (and nuts if using) in a figure of 8 movement. Take your time, you don't want to knock the air out.

Step 8

Hold a sieve over the bowl of your chocolate mixture and sieve over the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in using a figure of eight movement.

Step 9

Pour mixture into the prepared tin, gently easing the mixture into the corners of the tin and levelling with a spatula. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 10

Check to see if there is a paper like crust on top - there should still be some movement in the centre of the tin.

Step 11

Insert a toothpick into the brownie there will still be a smear of brownie mix on the tooth pick with a few moist crumbs sticking to the tooth pick as you pull it out. If there is still wet batter on the tooth pick pop your brownies back in the oven for another five minutes.

Step 12

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin until completely cold – if you can !

Step 13

Using the extra parchment paper edges, remove from the tin and cut the into squares and dust with icing sugar.