Step 1

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line two baking sheets with greaseproof/baking paper.

Step 2

In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water (or in the microwave), melt together the dark chocolate and sunflower oil. Set aside to cool until warm.

Step 3

In a separate heat-proof bowl (if using the microwave) or in a saucepan (if using the stovetop), mix together the sugar and water, and heat them together until the sugar is fully dissolved. Set aside to cool until warm.Tip: You don't want the mixture to start to boil, the water to evaporate or the sugar to start caramelising – you need to heat it only to the point where the sugar is fully dissolved and no further.

Step 4

Pour the sugar syrup into the melted chocolate and whisk well until combined.

Step 5

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk well until you get a smooth, fairly thick batter.Tip: It's very important that you use both the chocolate and the sugar syrup while both are warm. This ensures that the final batter has the consistency of thick brownie batter – you don't want the batter to be dry or crumbly, it shouldn't resemble chocolate chip cookie dough! The batter should be spoonable and slightly runny, you shouldn't be able to shape it with your hands.

Step 6

Use a "2 tablespoon" ice cream/cookie scoop to portion out the batter – you should get 12 cookies in total, 6 per baking sheet. (Scoop all the cookies at once, since the batter tends to firm up when standing at room temperature.) Make sure to space them out generously, as they spread out during baking.Tip: Make sure to invert the scoop as close to the baking sheet as possible, so as to form a circular mound of batter.

Step 7

Bake the cookies one baking sheet at a time, in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for about 9 - 10 minutes, until they are slightly puffed up and have a shiny, crackly crust.

Step 8

Immediately out of the oven, you can correct the shape of the cookies with a round cookie cutter, slightly larger than the diameter of the cookies. Use the cookie cutter to gently nudge the sides of the cookies towards the centre, until you get perfectly round cookies.

Step 9

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 10

Storage: The vegan brownies keep well in a closed container at room temperature for about 1 week.