Sesame filo scrunchies with honey syrup and pistachio sprinkles

Makes 6 Cakes, Bread and Pastries

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/Gas 4. Put the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7–10 minutes until rich golden, keeping an eye on them to ensure they don’t get too dark. Tip on to a plate to cool, then put 1tbsp in a small bowl to reserve for decoration. Put the remainder in a large bowl.

Put 1tbsp of the ground pistachios with the sesame seeds in the small bowl for decorating and the rest in the large bowl. Add 15g of the finely chopped chocolate to the small bowl and the rest to the large bowl.

Add the ground almonds to the large bowl along with the icing sugar, 75g of the caster sugar and the sweet cinnamon.

Melt the butter in a pan, then add 1tbsp melted butter and the egg to the nut mixture in the large bowl and mix to a paste. Divide into six equal portions.

Increase the oven temperature to 190C/170C F/Gas 5.

Lay 1 filo sheet on a clean work surface with the long edge facing you, keeping
the remaining sheets covered to prevent them drying out.

Brush the edges with melted butter, then place a second sheet on top and butter the edges of that. Loosely spread a portion of the paste in a line on the front edge of the filo, leaving a few tiny gaps so when it’s turned into a scrunchie the pastry won’t split.

Roll it away from you to make a sausage shape. If the pastry is very wide at the very end of your roll, trim off the last 4cm, brushing with plenty more melted butter as you roll to keep it pliable. Very gently wind the sausage into a spiral shape and skewer the end in place with a couple of cocktail sticks to keep it from unwinding. Lay on a baking tray large enough to hold all 6 pieces. Repeat the process to make 6 scrunchies in total. Brush them all again with melted butter and bake for around 25 minutes until they’re a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven.

Put the remaining 125g sugar in a small pan with 2tbsp hot water and set over a low heat to gently dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and boil for a minute until syrupy, without letting it get too thick or turn into caramel.

Remove from the heat, add the honey and heat for a second – it must not boil. Leave to cool for around 4 minutes. Pour into a container large enough to fit the cooked scrunchies in a single layer, then lay them, topside down, in the honey syrup. Leave to soak for 5 minutes, then turn and leave for 10 minutes or longer if you like.

Transfer the scrunchies to a wire rack set over a tray to catch the syrup. While they are still sticky, scatter over the seed, nut and chocolate mixture put aside for decoration. You can leave them in the syrup after decorating if you like them extra syrupy. Serve warm with clotted cream, if using, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.