For those looking to get a bit braver in their baking, an Oregon-based edible goods company is offering baking products made from crickets.
Over the last few years, Cricket Flours has managed to raise tens of thousands of dollars on Kickstarter in order to launch their range of insect-infused baking delights – and the company is just getting bigger.
The latest product being launched by the edible insect lovers is gourmet cricket salt, made from the crushed up tiny critters and Himalayan Pink Salt. The group made the announcement on October 23, World Edible Insect Day.
Looking tasty? A company in Oregon sells flour, salt and even brownie mix all made from crushed up crickets
Baking up a storm: The company is known for its flour and other baking products made from ground up crickets
It’s just the latest in a lengthy line of cricket products offered by Cricket Flours, which of course gains its name from its signature product.
The company also raised more than $25,000 last year for a Cricket Brownie Mix, which is now available online for $15.90.
For those less squeamish over the idea of eating insects, there are also bags of roasted crickets ready for munching, coming in flavors like ‘Hickory Smoked Bacon’, ‘Spicy Cayenne’ and ‘Cheesy Ranch.’
As for the salt, Cricket Flours CEO Charles Wilson said: ‘Three years ago we had a pretty niche following in the entomophagy space; today we work with thousands of families, chefs, restaurants, schools, and museums and this is one more way for someone to try insects in their favorite dishes or as a gift we know they won’t have for the holidays.’
Tasty: Last year, Cricket Flours raised more than $25,000 on Kickstarter for a cricket-based brownie mix
Next up: On October 23, World Edible Insect Day, the brand announced the release of a gourmet cricket salt
A bit of flavor: The product is made with the crushed insects and Himalayan Pink Salt
The question on your mind may be: Why would anyone want to bake with crickets when there is perfectly good regular flour out there?
Well, according to champions of the ingredient, it’s because the insects are about as close to a ‘superfood’ as one can get.
They contain twice the protein per ounce as beef, are packed with amino acids – all nine of the essential ones, in fact – and are also an excellent source of magnesium, which can help people cut their risk of heart disease by up to 22 per cent.
Getting creative: The brand’s website is full of recipes showing how to get crickets into every single meal
Straight up: For those less squeamish, the company also offers roasted crickets in a variety of flavors
On top of all this, crickets contain triple the amount of iron that’s in a serving of beef.
To make the most out of these benefits, the company also has a website riddled with recipes using crushed up crickets.
Among the treats are the likes of cricket crackers, cricket smoothies, cricket banana bread and even cricket ice cream.