Those who know me best know I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so it would come to no surprise if I told you I was browsing indulgent recipes last night to satisfy my cravings. Upon doing so I came across this bug treat… This bug inspired snack:

http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com/bug-treats

While this particular lovebug treat only looks like a delicious bug, it got me wondering,

“Are there any sweet treats that actually have bugs in them?”

In my search, I found that there are actually a lot of tasty treats out there that have insects as a main ingredient. These three seemed to look the most appetizing.

Here are three sweet bug treats you must try:

Chocolate Chirpie Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dry-roasted crickets
• 1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips
• >1 cup chopped nuts
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation & Cooking

Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture and insects, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Banana Worm Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dry-roasted meal worms
• 2 cups flour
• 2 mashed bananas
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation & Cooking

Mix together all ingredients. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

Recipe courtesy of Iowa State University Entomology Department 

Cranberry Oatmeal Grasshopper Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup rinsed cranberries
• 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips (Optional)
• 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup dry roasted grasshoppers

Preparation & Cooking

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease baking sheets. In a bowl, stir together oats, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and airy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add oat mixture, crickets and cranberries and mix until well combined. Place dough in spoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes total.
Transfer to racks to cool. Makes 30 to 40 cookies.

Recipe courtesy of insectsarefood.com.

Bon Appetite!

The next time you’re craving something a little sweet, indulge your adventurous side by making up a batch of one of these bug treats. Let me know what you think, and comment below if you have any other insect recipes you’d like to share with our readers.

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Anthony Ball