Preheat the oven to 180C or 356F, and line a 24cm x 24cm square baking pan. I like to put a bit of butter or oil in the bottom so the paper doesn’t slide around.

Melt and brown the butter in a medium-large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Some butters tend to bubble over as they brown, so I recommend sizing up. Cook the butter until it smells nutty and medium brown flecks appear in the bubbles. Once the bubbles recede, the mixture should be a medium brown. Take off the heat and add in the chocolate. Stir and set aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to your kitchen mixer and use the whisk attachment. Beat on a medium speed for 7-10+ minutes until the mixture is light (almost white) and fluffy. This will help create the crackly meringue surface.

Add the salt, vanilla bean paste and cocoa to the chocolate mixture. Pour the hot water and coffee over the cocoa to 'bloom' it – it brings out the depth of the chocolate flavour. Stir until the additions are mixed in with the chocolate and butter.

With the motor on a low speed, pour the chocolate butter mixture into the mixer. Allow to whisk for a minute or two until the batter is uniformly medium - dark brown in colour.

Add the almond meal to the brownie batter and whisk on low until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix once more, then pour the mixture into the pre-prepared pan. Add the pieces of halva and use a chopstick or the handle of a spoon to push them into the batter a little. If you want lots of halva visible at the end, skip this step. Repeat with the pistachios, submerging some completely to distribute them evenly in the brownie. Place the brownies into the oven for 25 minutes or until the top of the brownie is fully cooked and the brownie doesn’t wobble too much if shaken.

Allow to cool before slicing, and for best, most delicious results, allow to cool completely before eating. Brownies are best made the night before – see the introduction for links and tips. I also highly recommend keeping these in the fridge - when they're fresh from the oven they can be hard to eat for their fudginess.

I like to sprinkle my brownies with a little extra sea salt, but you do you.