From steamed puddings to butterscotch, honey buns to pralines, there's something about sticky food that brings out the messy child in all of us

Our love of certain foods is often commensurate with how messy they are – it's impossible to slurp spaghetti, gnaw barbecued ribs or nibble a toffee apple and maintain a level of decorum that might please a demanding aged aunt. And the pomposity-busting power of such dishes leads us to love them all the more. They force us to abandon all stuffiness and focus on pleasure.

So this week I'm singing a hymn to the sticky, sweet treats that help us rediscover the messy child within. These recipes are dedicated to all but the most frosty and prim. Or, on second thoughts, especially to them, in the hope that these delights will tempt them to abandon their stiff-upper-eating lip and crack a smile of jam-faced glee.

Honey is the most long-lived of sweeteners. From the ancient Egyptians to Winnie the Pooh, many centuries of honey monsters have fallen for its beguilingly sticky charms. The huge variety of honeys available – from light floral or heather honeys to punchy eucalyptus or chestnut versions – means there's one for every culinary occasion. In baking, honey not only sweetens; its hygroscopic properties (moisture-absorbing to you and me) mean it prolongs the freshness of anything you make with it. So today's sticky buns will keep well in a tin for a few days. Only in theory, of course…

Then along came sugar. Until the 18th century, it was the preserve – and the preserving agent – of the very wealthy, but once it became more widely available, we went on a collective sugar rush, adding its magical properties to all manner of cakes, confectionery and puds. But it's not just its sweetening properties that delight. Sugar allows you to perform kitchen chemistry, too, playing with its melting properties to create fudgy butterscotch sauces and clear-as-glass praline.

Then there's that beloved parvenu, golden syrup. In the 19th century, Scottish shipowner and sugar transporter Abram Lyle created the sticky seducer in a moment of enterprising, entrepreneurial thrift. In 1883, Abram Lyle & Sons started melting sugar at their east London refinery. A by-product of the sugar cane refining process was a treacly syrup that usually went to waste, but Lyle realised its commercial possibilities. At first it was sold only to employees and locals, but word of "Goldie" spread fast, and by 1885 it was poured into versions of today's iconic tin and stacked on grocers' shelves all over the country. We still love it over pancakes and porridge, for the sweetness and chewiness it gives biscuits and cakes, and, of course, in steamed puddings.

So this weekend I hope you'll be getting into a few sticky situations of your own, and sharing them shamelessly with those you love.

Butterscotch sundae with walnut praline

Rich, sticky butterscotch sauce and shards of crunchy walnut praline transform bought ice-cream into a delicious sundae. Alternatively, raid the fruit bowl for a few bananas and create sticky, butterscotchy banana splits. Serves six to eight.

For the butterscotch sauce
60g butter
70g light muscovado sugar
50g golden syrup
2 tsp lemon juice
100ml double cream

For the walnut praline
100g granulated sugar
50g walnut halves, roughly broken up
½ tsp flaky sea salt

To make the sauce, put the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan over a medium-low heat and stir until the butter has melted and everything is blended together. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring, for five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and then the cream, return to the heat and cook gently, stirring, for two minutes.

To make the praline, lightly oil a baking sheet (or line it with Silpat or other nonstick baking mat). Put the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan (with a pale or shiny metal bottom, so you can see the colour of the caramel) over a low heat and stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar dissolves and turns a dark amber. Take off the heat, stir in the walnuts with a fork and immediately pour on to the prepared sheet; tilt the sheet so it spreads out. Sprinkle salt over the top and leave to set. When set, chop or break into small pieces. Layer scoops of good ice-cream with the sauce in tall glasses and finish by sprinkling with bits of the praline.

Honey, almonds and apricot sticky buns

Honey, almonds and apricots combine to make these a delicious teatime treat. They're quick and easy to make, too. Makes 12.

For the topping
50g flaked almonds or whole almonds, roughly chopped
80g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
3 tbsp runny honey
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

For the buns
60g dried, unsulphured apricots, diced
Juice of 1 orange
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
40g butter, melted
85g runny honey
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
1 egg, lightly beaten
150ml whole milk

Soak the apricots in the orange juice for four hours, or overnight. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Butter the cups of a large 12-hole bun tin (ie, the sort you'd use for muffins), dust with flour and tap out any excess. Place the tin on an oven sheet.

Scatter the almonds into the cups of the bun tin. In a small bowl, beat together the butter, honey and cinnamon, and likewise divide between the 12 cups.  

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the butter, honey, zest and egg until smooth. Fold in first the flour mixture, then the apricots, then stir in the milk and 75ml of the soaking liquid until just combined. Divide between the cups of the tin, filling them half to three-quarters full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. If any topping sticks in the tin, just spoon it on top.

Ginger steamed pudding

What better for a cold day than a spicy, sweet and sticky pudding? As an added bonus, it makes the kitchen smell wonderful as it bubbles away. Serves four to six.

180g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing
80g stem ginger, thinly sliced, plus 3 tbsp of syrup from the jar
7 tbsp golden syrup
180g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
180g golden caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp milk

Butter a 1.2-litre pudding bowl and line the base with a circle of baking parchment. Cut out and grease a circle of baking parchment and a circle of foil about 25cm larger than the diameter of the bowl.

Put two-thirds of the stem ginger into the bowl and trickle over three tablespoons each of ginger syrup and golden syrup. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and ground ginger. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs and milk until smooth. Fold the flour mix and remaining stem ginger into the butter mix until well combined.

Spoon into the pudding bowl and level with a spatula. Place the foil and baking parchment on top of each other, buttered side up, and form a wide pleat in the centre. Place over the bowl, baking parchment side down, and tie with string around the rim. Use the string to form a handle across the centre of the bowl. Trim off any excess paper and foil.

If you have a trivet, place it in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan; if not, use an upturned saucer or small bowl. Place the pudding bowl on top and pour in enough boiling water to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the bowl. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for two hours. Check the level of the water after an hour and top up with more boiling water if it is less than two-thirds of the way up the sides of the bowl.

To serve, remove the parchment and foil, and run a metal spatula around the edge of the bowl. Turn the pudding out on to a plate and spoon the remaining golden syrup on top. Serve with custard or thick cream.

• Visit us at the new River Cottage Canteen and Deli on Royal William Yard in Plymouth.

{loadposition user38} source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/18/sticky-sweet-treats-recipes

source: http://www.europerank.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/58235-sticky-situations