Bird Nest Cookies

Looking for a fun and easy treat for spring? These adorable bird nest cookies are the perfect choice! They are unique and are made using crunchy chow mein noodles, and just a few simple other ingredients. Whether you’re celebrating Easter or simply enjoying the spring season, these no-bake treats whip up in no time and are sure to become a favourite with the kids!

The cookies have a balance of sweet, salty, and savoury flavours for the perfect dessert (or snack). They can be made well in advance and have a long storage life, making them a great make-ahead Easter treat. Not to mention they are just too cute, resembling sweet little birds’ nests for the arrival of spring.

Ingredients

This Easter recipe has only 6 simple ingredients and can easily be adjusted to create your own favourite version. The fun part is filling the bird nest. At Bulk Barn you can find all sorts of Easter candies to play around with. You can buy as little or as much as you like, so you can try lots of different variations!

• Chow Mein noodles
• Butterscotch chips
• Milk chocolate chips
• Natural peanut butter
• Icing sugar
• Chocolate mini eggs (Cadbury Mini Eggs)

Substitutions

1. If you don’t have natural peanut butter you can substitute it for original smooth Kraft peanut butter. Omit the icing sugar in this case.
2. Change up the milk chocolate chips to semi-sweet, white chocolate chips or even peanut butter chips.
3. Change up the mini eggs for pastel coloured jelly beans, peanut butter eggs, M&M’s or any fun candies you can find.
4. If you want firm bird’s nest cookies that aren’t soft to touch, omit the peanut butter altogether or only add 2-3 Tablespoons.
5. Try substituting chow mein noodles for pretzel sticks.
6. You can use almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter of your choice as a substitute for peanut butter.

Variation

Add unsweetened coconut to the top of the basket before adding the chocolate eggs. Now you’ll have a layer of white fluffy coconut in your bird nests, how cute is that?!

Tips For Perfect Bird Nest Cookies

1. Melt chocolate properly: When melting the butterscotch and milk chocolate chips, be careful not to overheat them. Use low heat and stir frequently to prevent burning or clumping. Also, be cautious as water can seize chocolate so make sure no water hits the bottom of the bowl (as the water simmers) or gets into the bowl. If you’re microwaving the chocolate make sure you are on medium heat and microwave in 30-seconds intervals.
2. Making the nests: Work quickly as the coating will start to firm up, resulting in a clumpy coating.
3. Forming the nests: Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the mixture and to keep your hands from getting too messy. Press down gently in the center with the back of a spoon to create a nest shape for the eggs. Don’t worry about them being perfect. Once you place the mini eggs inside they will look great.
4. Chill before serving: Place the cookies in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow them to set properly. This helps the cookies hold their shape and makes it easier to handle them when serving.
5. Add icing sugar: To soften the look of the baskets and to add a creative touch, lightly dust the baskets with icing sugar before serving.

More Easter Cookie Recipes

1. Carrot Cake Cookies
2. Lemon Easter Cut Out Cookies
3. Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
4. Mini Egg Cookies

How To Make Bird Nest Cookies

Step One: Set out a muffin tin, prep and get all your ingredients out.

Step Two: In a heat-proof bowl melt butterscotch chips and milk chocolate chips. You can microwave the chips on low or place the bowl over a simmering pot of water on the stovetop, making sure the water does not touch the bowl.

Step Three: Add the peanut butter and the icing sugar to the melted chips, mix until smooth and combined. Pour the mixture over the chow mein noodles and gently mix until all the noodles are covered.

Step Four: Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie mixture into the muffin cups. Then using the back of a small spoon make a little well in the center of each cookie to create a nest. Add chocolate candies or 3 candy eggs to each nest. Place the cookies in the freezer until set, approx. 30 minutes.

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FAQ’s

This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your baking needs! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this recipe.