Is there anything better than finding yourself over Twixmas with a hoard of chocolate? There’s the chocolate box from your mum, a second Celebrations tin doing the rounds, the edible decorations on the tree and a stack of chocolate saved up ‘just in case’. And if any of that stash happens to be dark (at least 70% cocoa solids), you’re in for a gut treat.

This brownie recipe was created by author and writer Dr Joan Ransley and is packed with polyphenols, fibre, protein, and healthy fats – not your usual chocolate bake fodder. The star of the show? Chocolate, of course. “Dark chocolate has been shown to have many health benefits, primarily due to its polyphenol content,” Dr Ransley explains. “A 100g bar of dark chocolate has around 11g of fibre which is like a super fuel for your gut microorganisms.”

Instead of sugar, these brownies use fibrous sticky dates and vitamin E-rich almonds instead of flour. There are also loads of nuts (full of healthy fats) and pears, which cook and squidge down to add to the gooey-ness. Again, pears are packed with fibre and inflammation-reducing antioxidants.

After a gut-friendly pudding? Try these pear and macadamia nut chocolate brownies