Rice Crispy Critter Treats

by sansoy

22K7037

Intro: Rice Crispy Critter Treats

My colleague, Fran, and I have been dabbling in entomophagy, ie the eating of insects.   

For Halloween, we updated the classic rice crispie treats recipe with roasted mealy worms, which have a nutty flavor and same texture as the crispy rice.

Mealy worms, eaten raw or roasted, are very nutritious and high in protein and fat .

If you want to learn more about the health benefits of eating insects check out the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report entitled "Edible Insects - Future prospects for food and feed security". 

http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e.pdf

STEP 1: Buy Some Live Mealy Worms

Rainbow Mealworms Inc. has been supplying live insects to pet stores and fish tackle shops since 1956!

They're also the supplier for all the insects eaten on the show Fear Factor!

Check them out at http://www.rainbowmealworms.net/

Other suppliers of live insects
http://www.flukerfarms.com/
http://www.kenthebugguy.com/
http://www.timberlinefisheries.com/
http://www.grubco.com/
http://www.bcrcricket.com/
http://www.sdwaxworms.com/


Cooked insects
http://www.thailandunique.com/
http://chapul.com/
http://importfood.com/thai_insects.html
http://buggrub.com/

STEP 2: Ingredients

6 cups of crispy rice  (any brand will work)
1 10oz package of marshmallows
3 tablespoons butter or margarine (not shown)
1 pint Live Mealy Worms

STEP 3: Prepare Live Mealy Worms

Empty the pint of mealy worms into a sieve and rinse thoroughly.  

Remove any fragments and dead worms.

Next pour them on some paper towels and tap them dry.  

Place them in a container and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, which will kill the worms. (DO NOT FREEZE)

STEP 4: Roast the Mealy Worms

After removing from freezer, spread the mealworms out evenly on a non stick cookie sheet. 

Then bake in oven at 200 degrees for one to two hours until they are dry and crispy.

STEP 5: Mix Ingredients

After mealy worms have been roasted, melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.

Remove from heat. 

Add crispy rice and stir until well coated.

Then add all the roasted mealy worms and stir again until everything is well mixed.

STEP 6: Final Preparation

Spoon mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray and spread evenly with a spatula.

Cool.

Cut into  squares. 

STEP 7: Fran Enjoying Her First Rice Crispy Critter Treat!

The mealy worm has a nice nutty flavor which complemented the classic rice krispie treat.

These were a hit at our company.  

Enjoy!
Sabri & Fran

37 Comments

Saved_By_Bugs2057 2 years ago

I am actually anaphylactic to these, since they are crustacean, but would certainly try them if I could.

Ian Swope 10 years ago

I think a really cool contest would be 'insects' or like 'bugs.' just a random thought :)

Ian Swope 10 years ago

recently i've been getting really into the whole eating bugs thing. and there are some really interesting documentaries on Netflix that i've been watching. What i really like about people eating bugs is how ecologicly friendly they are. When you think about it they reproduce very quickly, they don't need a lot of food, water, and space. I love this idea!

Ezara 10 years ago

LOL thank you. I laughed, but this is info I will store somewhere in the back of my mind incase it ever comes down to needing to use it! You never know...

Pattymouth 10 years ago

Okay, I'm the lone dissenter here. I could no more get one of these things closer than 2 inches from my mouth than I could a poop brownie, so more power to you all. But - I am just curious about a "prickly vegan's" comment - Why are these considered vegan? I know it's not a cow, but it was a living thing before they were popped into the freezer. Some vegans won't even eat honey, so why are worms okay? Just wondering.

Spokehedz 10 years ago

It is a term that does not have a specific definition, and as such is open to mild interpretation.

codongolev 10 years ago

yeah. my dad's a "vegan" (in his case, he doesn't eat any animal products) for health reasons and he's had people get up in arms saying he's technically a "strict vegetarian" because he wears leather shoes.

Spokehedz 10 years ago

I think that most of the issue for people is that some parts of the group do it for different reasons than the rest.

Some people do it to keep fats out of their body.

Others do it because they don't like the idea of any animal being killed.

And some of them do it because they don't want any animal exploited, although not exactly hurt or killed, for anything--such as honey from bees, or milk from cows/goats.

So, you have one group that is doing it from a nutrition/diet standpoint, another from a moral/ethical standpoint, and another from a Moral/rights standpoint. And yet, all of them can be called "Vegetarians" but not all of them can be called 'Vegan'.

Pattymouth 10 years ago

It's interesting how some people are compelled to judge one another when it comes to choices like this! (Well, all choices, huh?) At least he could eat healthy meal worm rice krispy critter treats while he wears his leather shoes. ;~) I love that there are things 'out here' to try.

manne 10 years ago

Many vegans have chosen to do so mainly as a health choice, so I think she was offering other more healthy ingredient options that could achieve the same goal - a sweet, nutritional snack. She didn't say she'd eat them. Just guessing. I'm not vegan and wouldn't be able to eat one bite. I think I could if they were chopped or ground up so the experience wasn't so visual.

Pattymouth 10 years ago

I couldn't even do it if they were chopped! Funny how our cultures mold us, huh?

bdempsey1 10 years ago

No offense but I hope it never comes down to eating bugs at my house. I have done it as part of survival training & didn't really find it all that pleasant..Except for the carpenter ants. They kinda taste like sweet tarts. The black ones not the red ones.

wazzup105 10 years ago

I've tasted mealy worms in the past (not bad actually, although I liked the crickets better) but the idea to combine them with rice crispies is awesome ! (especially around halloween)

alergyfree 10 years ago

High protein source that uses a minimum of resources to raise.

gingerbaker 10 years ago

Man, we are in deep trouble if we have to resort to eating grubs and insects (again) because it is efficient use of resources. Aarghh! ;>D

Spokehedz 10 years ago

Grasshoppers are the best protein-to-food ratio on the planet. Look it up.

If you process the protein enough, you won't be able to tell the difference between it and a chicken nugget.

alergyfree 10 years ago

I just think we been mostly missing the boat. Lobster, crab, shrimp are all basically insects of the sea. Lots of other countries have insects as a staple. I can raise enough insect protein in a small closet to practically live on for very little investment. A while back a couple friends and i went into the woods and foraged. At the end of the day we walked out of the woods with full bellies and most of it was insects.We IMO need to get our heads out of the sands

thesnowtheriver 10 years ago

this truly does not make me want to eat these. but then I think fish, especially lobster, crab, and shellfish, are disgusting smelly creatures and i won't eat those either. The idea you have is terrific, it's the visual i cannot deal with. chop them up and mix 'em in and i might try it : ) also, how do you know putting them in the freezer kills them? maybe it just slows them down a lot ? poor little things. : (
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