Charamuscas

Step 1: Brush a marble slab, heatproof worktop or large baking tray generously with 1 tbsp neutral oil.

Step 2: Put 9 oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar, 3 ½ oz white sugar, ½ cup water and ½ tsp lime juice in a heavy pan over a medium heat and stir until dissolved. Then boil without stirring for 12–15 minutes, until it reaches 250°F, or a drop in cold water forms a firm ball that only just holds a dent.

Step 3: Take off the heat, stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract and pour onto the oiled surface. Leave 3–4 minutes, folding the edges into the middle with an oiled spatula, until it is cool enough to touch with oiled gloves.

Step 4: Pull the sugar out into a rope, fold it back on itself and pull again, for 5–8 minutes, until it turns from dark brown to a glossy golden amber and starts to stiffen. Common mistake: pulling it when still too hot or too thin in places; it burns your hands or snaps.

Step 5: Quickly roll into ropes 1 cm thick, cut into 15 cm lengths with oiled scissors and twist each into a spiral. Let them harden for 30 minutes, then wrap individually in cellophane or baking paper, as they turn sticky in humid air.