Ingredients

• • 40g dried edible mealworms
  • 250g unsalted butter, softened
  • 180g soft light brown sugar
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • 2 tsp LittlePod Vanilla Paste
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
  • 320g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional, for contrast)

Method

1. Toast the mealworms in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, tossing frequently, until fragrant and audibly crisp. Tip onto kitchen paper to cool, then roughly chop two-thirds of them, leaving the rest whole for texture and visual interest.
2. Cream the butter and both sugars together until pale and light, about 3–4 minutes with an electric mixer.
3. Beat in the egg, LittlePod Vanilla Paste and vanilla seeds until fully combined.
4. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and fold through until just combined – do not overwork.
5. Fold in the toasted mealworms and chopped chocolate, if using. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Roll the dough into 20 balls of roughly 35g each and space well apart on lined baking trays.
7. Bake for 12–14 minutes until the edges are golden but the centres still look slightly underdone. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.