Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Toast the pecans in the oven for 8 minutes, then cool and roughly chop.Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Toast the pecans in the oven for 8 minutes, then cool and roughly chop.

Meanwhile, chop the bacon lardons into smaller pieces and fry them in a nonstick pan, stirring occasionally, until really crisp. Add the maple syrup, stir to coat the bacon, then tip into a bowl along with all the pan juices. Set aside until needed.

Sift the cocoa powder, flour and ground almonds into a bowl. In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter and sugar together over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the cocoa mixture and vanilla and stir together until combined. Add the eggs and stir again to mix.

Add the cooked bacon lardons plus their pan juices, reserving a few to decorate the top, plus the dark chocolate pieces and pecans. Carefully fold together until the mixture is smooth and equally distributed. Pour into your prepared tin, smoothing the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Scatter the surface with the reserved bacon lardons.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top forms a crust and the middle is still slightly gooey (adjust the time depending on the desired consistency – remember the brownies will carry on cooking for a little once the cake tin leaves the oven, so remove when an inserted skewer comes out a little sticky). Cool in the tin for 30 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.