A Crunchy Confection Chocolate Crickets Recipes

CRISPY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, until evenly incorporated. Gradually beat in water, then vanilla extract.
• Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Press gently to flatten the mounds of dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm, about 20 minutes. Cool for 3 minutes before removing from the baking sheets.

A CRUNCHY CONFECTION CHOCOLATE CRICKETS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, mix sugar, cream, chocolate and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reads 234 degrees, or until a small amount of mixture forms a ball when dropped into ice water. Remove mixture from heat and add butter.
• Cool mixture to 120 degrees without stirring. Add vanilla and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until candy is thick and no longer glossy -- about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in insects. Spread evenly in a buttered loaf pan. Cool until firm. Cut into 2-inch squares.

CRISP CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Set mixture aside.
• Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp but not darkened. Cool on wire racks; decorate as desired.

CHOCOLATE CRUNCH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20cm square tin and line with baking parchment. Stir the melted butter and vanilla together in a bowl. Mix the caster sugar, flour and cocoa together in another bowl.
• Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the dry and beat together, then add the egg and beat again until combined. Press into the prepared tin. Brush the top with water and sprinkle over the granulated sugar.
• Bake for 30-35 mins. Leave to cool slightly in the tin for 5 mins before slicing into squares and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED CROISSANTS (PAINS AU CHOCOLAT)

Steps:

• Roll out and cut dough:
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary, into an 18- by 10-inch rectangle. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush and trim edges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Cut dough vertically into fourths, then horizontally into fourths to make 16 rectangles.
• Form pains au chocolat:
• Place 2 batons, flat sides together, along a short side of 1 rectangle about 3/4 inch from edge, letting batons extend over sides. Fold bottom edge of dough over batons and roll up dough around chocolate. Place, seam side down, on a parchment-lined large baking sheet.
• Make more pastries in same manner, arranging them 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
• Let pains au chocolat rise:
• Slide each baking sheet into a garbage bag, propping up top of bag with inverted glasses to keep it from touching pastries, and tuck open end under baking sheet.
• Let pastries rise until slightly puffy and spongy to the touch, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Bake pains au chocolat:
• Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°F. Remove baking sheets from bags. Spritz inside oven generously with spray bottle and close door. Put pastries in oven, then spritz again before closing door. Reduce temperature to 400°F and bake 10 minutes without opening door.
• Switch position of sheets in oven and rotate sheets 180°, then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake until pastries are deep golden, about 10 minutes more.