Many years ago, back in London, I had a hairdresser who commissioned me to make bran muffins. Fast forward to now and I still remember how deliciously comforting they were, with their nubbled crust that gave way to a satisfying mouthful of wholesome crumb. But it wasn’t until my first mouthful of today’s recipe that the memories came flooding back. You see, despite the fact that here lies neither bran, nor a speck of any grain, the flavour is intensely reminiscent. And boy oh boy, it is unbelievably good.
Don’t get upset with me for including an ingredient you likely can’t get at your local supermarket. Cricket flour is so well worth an Amazon order, which may be a little pricier than you’d like but small quantities used means your packet will last for many more memorable meals to come. If the thought of eating crickets grosses you out, you should know this: not only does Dr Terry Wahls extol the virtue of consuming cricket flour but experts predict we shall all be supplementing our diets with insects in the years to come. As the world’s population grows, food becomes scarcer and ever more expensive as a result, insects will be plentiful and sustainable to harvest. They are also a fantastic source of protein, iron, calcium, amino acids, magnesium and the all important Vitamin B12. I read somewhere that should there ever be a nuclear disaster (God forbid), insects would be the last remaining life on earth – they are practically indestructible. Think of the cockroach in the film Wall.E … there was a lot of truth in that!
I wanted to make pudding and confess this is my new almost guilty pleasure! I say ‘almost’ because it turns out the recipe is well timed. This article, recently published by Dr Sarah Ballantyne, states that molasses (unsulphured blackstrap) should perhaps be seen as a good food, and not just the sweetener label previously afforded it. It contains five times as much iron as steak, one and a half times as much calcium as cheese (per calorie) and impressive amounts of manganese, magnesium and selenium to name but a few. So don’t give the quarter cup of molasses here any more thought than this: not only are you increasing your protein through entomology, but you are gaining other essential micronutrients with those molasses.
The successful Sticky Ginger Pudding is no longer an option for our ginger-allergic son, so I have had to find solace in another form. Come to the rescue cricket pudding, with an earthy texture and rustic appearance, together with sublime toasted nuttiness, there is more than enough to invoke a wonderfully cosy feeling. Just as those muffins did for me … another culinary lifetime ago.
sticky cricket-y pudding
Don’t be tempted to cut down the quantity of molasses (and feel free to add a tablespoon or two more) for this pudding, you’ll likely lose the ‘sticky’!
(serves 6-8)
Print the recipe here
1 can pumpkin purée
3/4 cup lard
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses *
generous pinch sea salt
1+1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup cricket flour **
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 gelatin egg, as follows
1 tbsp gelatin
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp hot water
Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease a 2+1/2 pt pie dish.
Put the pumpkin, shortening, molasses, salt and vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand or hand held mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until well combined and smooth. Add the shredded coconut, then sift in the cricket and coconut flours, together with the baking soda. Mix again.
Next, make the gelatin egg. Put the gelatin into a small bowl, the vinegar and hot water into another. Pour the liquid into the gelatin and whisk quickly until the gelatin has melted and the mixture looks frothy. With the motor running, pour the gelatin egg into the cake bowl and whizz again for a couple of seconds or so to fully incorporate.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish, level the top and cook for 50 minutes or until browned and just firm to the touch. Not too firm though, or you’ll lose all the ‘sticky’. Serve with ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
* Make this GAPS/SCD friendly by replacing the molasses with honey.
** Note of caution: If you have a shellfish allergy, you may well be allergic to crickets, since they are also crustaceans. Those with nut allergies should take caution too.
I didn’t know crickets are crustaceans. How interesting~!
…and these are beautiful photographs~
It didn’t occur to me that crickets were crustaceans either. Hey, you live and you learn 🙂
And thank you!
That ice cream looks incredible. What flavor is it? The link takes me to your banana coconut recipe (which looks awesome, but different from this one).
Thanks!!!
Thanks Susan. I used some ice cream I already had in the freezer. It has banana, cinnamon and orange zest and juice in it. Really Good!!
I would love to make this. I personally have no problem eating crickets, but my son has a nut allergy, and crickets are not recommended for those with nut allergies.
Good for you for featuring crickets in a new and interesting way.
Thank you Rebecca 🙂
Hi Rebecca!
I’m one of the co-founder of Grilo Protein, an Australia based cricket powder small company.
I have never heard about crickets not being recommended for people with nut allergies. I will do a bit of research on that. Thanks for the info!
We know that people with shellfish allergy can be sensitive to insects.
Cant wait to try this, sounds amazing!! Look forward to more cricket flour recipes, maybe some muffins 😉
hehe, actually they were going to be muffins originally but the family wanted pud 🙂
I hope you enjoy these as much as we all do. Yum!
The pudding looks delicious Kate! thanks for sharing the recipe with us. can’t wait to make it using our organic cricket flour. 🙂
Hi all, Is it possible to sub coconut oil for the palm shortening in this recipe?
Hi Leigh, yes it will work just fine 🙂
Great! Thanks for the quick reply 🙂
This looks absolutely so delicious! I am totally willing to attempt to add crickets to my diet, but unfortunately the ones that you linked to are unavailable right now on Amazon. I’m a little leery of buying others that are not from North America and are not GMO free. I will wait for them to become available unless you have another source. In the meantime, do you think I could make this fabulous putting without them or substitute something for them?
Thanks so much, Maureen
Hi Maureen, this one by Entomo is fine to use and appears to be in stock. Not sure whether you saw but I also posted a sticky ginger pud which is pretty darned delish!!
Thanks so much for the link. I will check it out. And I did see the recipe for the sticky ginger pudding! It looks awesome, too!
Cheers,
Maureen
Looks great! I cannot have pumpkin so assuming acorn squash will be fine. But I cannot have shredded Coconuts any suggestions?
Yes, puréed acorn squash will be a fine substitute for the pumpkin. But can you get hold of spaghetti squash? I’m thinking that you could use some of that instead of the shredded coconut. I haven’t tried it myself but I think that’s what I’d be tempted to do. In which case make some purée and pull out some strands of par-cooked, chop them down a bit but get them thoroughly dried before you use. If the mixture looks a little too sloppy you could add an extra tablespoon of flour.
Nice- looks good. I’ve been experimenting with cricket flour and this will be up next!
That’s great to hear Krista. I love it so much, and even more so now I know how nutritious it is!
I do hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hi! Do you have other successful match of spices and or recipes using cricket flour?
Thank you again for all your inspiring recipes!
Because cricket flour is so earthy and pretty intense you would need to use pronounced spices rather than subtle ones which would be lost. Ginger would be awesome. I think banana would be gorgeous too.
I don’t use cricket flour very much but I have made several delicious cakes/puds, just haven’t got round to posting. One day …
thank you for your quick answer! Any test in savoury dishes with the cricket flour?
Sorry, not yet 🙂
Hi Genevieve!
You can find great recipes using cricket flour at https://griloprotein.com.au/cricket-recipes/
Enjoy! 🙂
I’ve never heard of pie pan sizes in this way (2 + 1/2 pt.). Pardon my ignorance, but I couldn’t find any conversions on google. what’s the equivalent in imperial measurements?
Thanks!!
Hi Lissa, I used a ceramic dish that holds 2+1/2 pints liquid if you were to pour it in. Mine is oval and measures 11 x 8 x 2.5 inches at the top, although it has sloping sides. Hope that helps.
I’ve never thought of doing the ACV with the gelatin egg! I used to do that with regular eggs a culinary lifetime ago. Thanks for the ideas! I’ll be adapting to make a special treat for my (severely gut compromised) girl for her 4th birthday! TY!
Hi Shannon, glad to know your daughter will be having a tasty birthday treat. If you don’t want to do any modifications have you seen the pear and parsnip teacake (completely sweetener free) and banana cinnamon teacake which is the one I usually make for birthday treats. You can easily cut the amount of honey down for her. 🙂
Thank you! More ideas!! We definitely will be modifying just about anything heavily since we are freshly in a new round of eliminations (dealing with a years long, intense rash we haven’t been able to figure out ). I’m thinking if we call it “pudding” I’ll have more leniency with whatever consistency I get. I have never cooked with cricket flour yet- any pointers? For example I know you don’t need as much coconut flour since it acts to really dry out a recipe more than some other flours do. How does the protein content of cricket flour impact baking? TIA!!
I love using cricket flour, it adds a nice almost bran-like flavour and texture. You really don’t need much though, the flavour would be quite overpowering. Definitely worth a try IMO. Just know that it’s not advisable for people with sensitivities to shellfish or nuts.
I did not know about the nut relation. I read about the shellfish thing. Would you recommend it for AIP? My daughter doesn’t exactly have a “reason” not to eat nuts other than we are (still) using AIP. I did test “highly likely” allergic to almonds years and years ago.
I don’t know your health history so can’t advise you one way or the other, however crickets are definitely AIP compliant. 🙂
nice blog…thanks for sharing with us..
Thank you ☺️