As much as I love to learn from a recipe, my default position in the kitchen is to just follow my nose and make stuff up as I go. Which is mostly excellent when cooking and a guaranteed disaster when baking. I like non-recipe recipes, flavour charts and moveable feasts. Of course, as a Cook reader, you’ll know that no-one does this better than Anna Jones: in her recipes almost every component can be swapped for another, without the proverbial cake sinking in the middle. One of the constant tools in her belt is the sprinkle. The scatter. The flourish. It’s the ultimate finishing touch, in both looks and flavour, which as we now know amount to the same thing.

The winning recipe: Hazelnut and almond crumb

Katie Kirk made a pistachio nut version of this recently for a brunch gathering, sprinkling it atop CoYo and roasted rhubarb. Brunch par excellence.

Makes 1 small bowlful
60g hazelnuts
Zest of 1 orange
30g ground almonds
¼ tsp sea salt, crushed
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Toast the hazelnuts. When cooled, blend them in a food processor or chop with a knife into coarse crumbs. If you like, reserve some hazelnuts to add whole.

2 Stir together the chopped hazelnuts, orange zest, ground almonds, salt and bicarbonate of soda.

3 Add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Using clean hands, rub the oil and syrup into the dry ingredients as you would for a crumble mix. To get larger clumps, you can squeeze the mix together. But try not to overwork it.

4 Spread into a large baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway, until it is just beginning to turn golden.

5 Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray.

6 The crumb will keep for a week in an airtight container.

Pear frangipane tart with black sesame seeds

Detoutcoeur Limousin has a knack for elegance on a plate, and this tart, which taps into the beauty of black sesame, is no exception.

Makes 1 large tart
1 puff-pastry sheet, rolled into 30cm-diameter disc
50g butter, at room temperature
50g plain flour
50g ground almonds
50g caster sugar
2 eggs
A pinch of salt
1 tsp rose water or almond essence
2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into eighths lengthways
2 tbsp black sesame seeds

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Line a 25cm flan dish with the pastry sheet, leaving the edges hanging over the dish.

2 To make the frangipane filling, add the butter, flour, ground almonds, sugar, 1 egg, a pinch of salt and the almond essence or rosewater to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and well blended.

3 Spread the frangipane over the prepared pastry case, put the pear slices evenly on top of the frangipane filling and sprinkle with 1 tbsp black sesame seeds. Fold over the edges of the pastry.

4 Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the pastry, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp black sesame seeds before putting in the oven.

5 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into slices if you are serving immediately. Delicious hot or cold.

White choc chip and rainbow blondies

Of course, sprinkling, for any 1970s kid, instantly brings to mind handfuls (and mouthfuls) of rainbow-coloured sugar strands: Jimmies, hagelslag, Hundreds and Thousands, Funfetti ... all as enticing as they are not real food. In Becky Thorn’s rainbow blondies, the Disney colours of the sprinkles melt into painterly smudges in your white chocolate batter.

Makes 15-20
230g white chocolate, chopped
110g butter, softened
2 eggs
70g white caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
160g plain flour
¾ tsp salt
100g white chocolate chips
60g sprinkles

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a roughly 25cm round baking pan. Melt the white chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool.

2 In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until foamy. With the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in the melted white chocolate mixture.

3 Combine the flour and salt. Fold it into the white chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips and the sprinkles. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

4 Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Apricot cardamom muffins

Faye Cooke’s sprinkle topping is what takes these – and indeed all – muffins from basic to artisan-bakery standard. The apricot can easily be substituted with stewed rhubarb or fresh blueberries.

Makes 12
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cardamom
75g shelled pistachios, chopped
140g light brown sugar
180g honey
60g plain natural yoghurt
125ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
320g apricots, stoned and cut into 1cm cubes

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Line a muffin tin with 12 cases.

2 Sift the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp of the cardamom into a bowl. Add half the chopped pistachios.

3 Put the rest of the pistachios in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tsp of cardamom and 4 tsp of sugar, then set aside.

4 In a separate bowl mix together the last of the brown sugar with the honey, yoghurt, vegetable oil and eggs, then pour this mix into the dry ingredients and fold gently. Add the chopped apricot.

5 Divide the batter between the cases, then sprinkle the pistachio, sugar and cardamom topping over each one.

6 Bake for around 30-40 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Once removed from the oven, leave in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack.

Furikake

Anna Thomson’s homemade furikake is the quintessential savoury sprinkle – a medley of flavours to top a bowl of Japanese rice, but also popcorn, buttered toast, a boiled egg ... you name it. The Japanese ingredients can be sourced online, at japancentre.com.

For the konbu powder
4-5 konbu sheets

For the furikake
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp shelled hemp seeds
1 sheet nori
1 tbsp konbu powder
1 tbsp yukari (ume shiso condiment)

1 First make the konbu powder. Bake the konbu sheets at 160C/325F/gas mark 3 until they have become brittle – about 1.5-2 hours. Break into pieces and then blitz to a powder in a food processor. Store in a glass jar.

2 Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, then leave to cool.

3 Fold the nori sheet in half and in half again to create a small rectangle. With scissors, first cut the folded edge, then slice the sheet into the thinnest strips you can (or just buy ready-cut nori).

4 Mix all the ingredients together, then store in a glass jar until needed.

Pear smoothie bowl

I was feeling less than enthusiastic about smoothie bowls until I tried this from Ranette Prime. I just assumed it would be like trying to eat a thick drink with a spoon. As it turns out, I might just start doing this every morning.

Serves 1
1 conference pear
2 dates, deseeded
480ml oat or almond milk
1 tsp peanut butter
A dash of nutmeg powder
A dash almond or vanilla essence

To garnish
1 banana, sliced
2 tbsp mixed seeds (hemp, chia, flax)

1 To make the smoothie, put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth.

2 Pour into a bowl and arrange the banana slices on top, then sprinkle with the seeds. Eat immediately.

Beef floss

Rachel Kelly’s serunding daging – or spicy pulled beef – is another example of the perfect garnish to keep in your fridge. You could easily make the recipe with fish, chicken or pork – and sprinkle it atop rice, soups, salads and sandwiches.

Makes 1 large bowlful
500g beef topside or silverside, cut into large chunks
750ml water
5 dried chillies, soaked in warm water, deseeded and chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, thick bottom third only, outer layers discarded, inner part very thinly sliced
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
10 shallots, finely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
300ml coconut milk
1½ tsp salt
2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 Put the beef in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes (or until tender).

2 Drain the beef and set aside to cool, reserving the liquid. Once cool enough to handle, shred the beef along the grain very finely. Set aside.

3 Blend the chillies with the lemongrass, ginger, shallots and turmeric to a coarse paste. Tip the paste into a bowl and gradually add 180ml of the reserved beef stock. Stir well to combine.

4 Tip the liquid into a saucepan or wok together with the coconut milk, salt and tamarind paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 15 minutes. Some of the liquid should have evaporated. Add the beef. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has evaporated and the beef is crisp, dry and fluffy. (Depending on your pan, this can take over an hour.)

Terang bulan

Bobby Ananta’s back with an Indonesian fluffy pancake not so much sprinkled as it is strewn with no less than six garnishes. A proper treat for a hungry day.

Serves 4-6
130g self-raising flour
5g instant yeast
180ml warm water
2 eggs
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
25g butter
Condensed milk, for drizzling

For the sprinkle
Zest of 1 lime
A large handful of chopped dried fruits (such as apricots or blueberries)
A large handful of white chocolate, chopped
A large handful of fresh blueberries
A large handful of almond flakes, toasted
2 peaches, diced or sliced

1 In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast and water, set aside and leave for at least 2 hours.

2 With a hand mixer beat the eggs and sugar, then slowly add the flour mix and the melted butter. Mix well.

3 Pour the mixture into a large, deep frying pan with a lid, cover and fry over a low heat – using a heat diffuser, if possible – without turning over, until the pancake is cooked through – about 10-15 minutes.

4 While it is still hot, spread the butter on top, then drizzle with condensed milk. Sprinkle with the lime zest, dried fruit, white chocolate, fresh blueberries, almond flakes and peach. Finish with an extra drizzle of condensed milk.