From time to time you need to throw convention out the window and indulge yourself. These are our top 9 sweet treats we can enjoy simply on a spoon (probably when no one is watching). 1. Peanut Butter - With the exception of Food Director Annabelle Waugh, the rest of the Test Kitchen occasionally enjoys a spoonful of peanut butter directly from the jar. Who needs bread (or jam) when the creamy, nutty, sticky sweetness of PB directly off the spoon satisfyingly coats your mouth. To me it is best enjoyed as a late night treat. 2. Nutella - A favourite of Food Specialist Jennifer Bartoli, the creamy chocolate hazelnut spread is simply addicting. You could spread it on toast, but why spend all that time toasting and just grab a spoon (or if no one is watching, your finger) and scoop out a little taste. We even like to work it into desserts such as a delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Trifle or this amazing Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. 3. Speculaas cookie butter - I wrote about this sweet spread previously. It tastes like caramelized speculaas cookies (those thin, crispy cookies spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, cardamom and pepper) and looks similar to peanut butter. It is perfect on toast or simply enjoyed on a spoon (ok, mostly enjoyed on a spoon!) 4. Dulce de leche - Who doesn't love dulce de leche? It is one of those things you need to try before you die. Don't blame me if you get addicted to the creamy, caramel flavour of sweetened milk that has been simmered low and slow to caramelize the sugars in the milk (dulce de leche literally translated means "candy of milk"). You can buy a pretty good bottled version at your local grocery store or make your own. What ever you do, make these dulce de leche filled  cookies, and just try not to sneak a spoonful. 5. Butter cream icing - Sweet, rich and creamy,  classic butter icing not only tastes fantastic, but is the ultimate cover for your perfectly baked  cake. Whether vanilla or this  chocolate version, make sure you sneak a spoonful, or heck even lick the bowl, before it's gone. 6. Whipped cream -  A dollop of whipped cream on a cake, slice of  pie, on top of a brownie or waffles is the perfect finish to your skillfully made dessert. No one would blame you if you "accidentally" dipped your finger or a spoon in the bowl to make sure the whipped cream was tastes just right (a good cook always samples their food!) 7. Honey - The original sweet treat, humans have been enjoying sticky honey for millennia (and I would say most of that time enjoyed on a spoon or licked off a finger). Honey has a distinct flavour (depending on the types of flowers the bees get the nectar from) that is different from regular sugar. Here in the  Test Kitchen, we like to use it in both sweet and  savoury cooking. We can't resist licking the spoon after measuring honey for a recipe. 8. Lemon curd - Quick and easy to make, lemon curd is a sweet combo of sugar, lemon juice and zest, eggs and sometimes butter gently cooked together to yield a creamy lemon sauce that when cold has the consistency of pudding. Of course it is great eaten on a spoon, but it's also delicious on toast or english muffins, used as a filling for cakes or atop these Spring inspired cupcakes! 9. Chocolate ganache - A traditional filling for chocolates or  truffles, chocolate ganache is made from heating cream, pouring it over good quality chopped chocolate and stirring until smooth. It can then be poured over a  cake as a glaze or used to fill thumbprint cookies. Chilled down and rolled into truffles, ganache makes an indulgent treat best sampled on a spoon. Tell me: What are your sweet treats to indulge in?   Follow me on Twitter. Photography by Jeff Coulson/TC Media