My toddler is always poking around in the kitchen, wanting to know what exactly I’m doing and, more importantly, where he can jump in and help. Of course, if you have a toddler, you know that this really just makes cooking more stressful (“Stand back from that open flame kid!”) and more labor intensive (“No, no. Mommy will pick them all up…”). So, when I come across a recipe that has steps practically made for little hands, I take note.
This adorable springtime Chocolate Bird’s Nests recipe is the perfect way to involve your little ones in the cooking process. The mixture comes together within a few minutes in one pot on the stove and a few minutes later, your tot can be molding mounds of chocolate and puffed rice into little bird’s nests. After letting them firm in the refrigerator, the kids can even help fill the nests with small fruits, nuts, or candy to mimic the eggs in the nest.
Oh! Did I mention these were healthy treats? Yes, don’t expect a sugar rush with these sophisticated dark chocolate nests. They rely on pure maple syrup for their sweetness, cacao powder for their intense chocolate flavor, and puffed brown rice and shredded coconut for the crunchy structure. To keep with the healthy snack thing going on, skip the candy, and fill these little nests with green grapes, raspberries, almonds, cashews, or macadamia nuts. They still get the point across without any artificial colors and flavors.
Not just for Easter, these nests would be a fun and tasty treat to make any time you want a quick and healthy treat to make with your kids.
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These adorable Dark Chocolate Bird’s Nests require only a handful of ingredients and one pot to make. Let your kids help form and fill the nests for a fun Easter activity.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- pinch of salt
- 1 – 3/4 cups brown rice puffs (or other whole grain puffed cereal)
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 36 small pieces of fruits, nuts, or candy for filling the nests*
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet or platter with wax paper and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, cacao powder, and salt until smooth and melted.
- Remove from heat and allow chocolate mixture to cool for a few minutes then add in the brown rice puffs and shredded coconut and mix well to combine.
- Scoop out rounded mounds of mixture onto the wax paper lined pan (you will get about 12 mounds). The mix will still be a bit loose at this point, so put the mounds into the refrigerator for about 5 minutes to firm up.
- Once the nests are firm (but not solid!) after a few minutes in the refrigerator, remove the tray and start shaping the mounds into little nests with indents in the center.
- Fill each nest with small fruits, nuts, or candy, and refrigerate for another hour or so until completely firm.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool area or in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
Try filling the nests with fresh raspberries, green grapes, cashews, almonds, or macadamia nuts for a healthy alternative to candy.
Keywords: healthy easter chocolate birds nest
