Easter chocolate egg nests - two ways

Last week at the swimming pool, a little girl befriended Sylvia and me.  She started to tell us how much she loved egg wraps.  When I said I didn't like eggs she was astonished.  Sylvia however likes to joke that my favourite eggs are Easter eggs.  I guess she is right.  The novelty amuses me.  Yet commercial Easter eggs are not always the best quality and I quite like my chocolate other ways.  Like in a nest.  With Easter eggs.

Yes, it is starting to feel a lot like Easter around here.  Sylvia is beside herself with excitement as only a 5 year old can be.  I bought the M and Ms speckled eggs.  They were opened in an untimely way but were not long for this world anyway.  I quite liked the crunchy centres.  The Cadbury mini eggs were bought a day later.  I was relieved to find they were gluten free so I could use them for some nests for my celiac niece.  But the solid chocolate centres were less pleasing than the M and Ms.

Chocolate Easter egg nests seems quite a common Easter recipe.  It was my first time making them.  I decided to try them two ways.

One was a BBC recipe using cornflakes.  After making them I realised this is actually a recipe with which British children are very familiar.  E said he had them without eggs when he was little.  I think they are similar to Australia's chocolate crackles.  The chocolate coating was quite soft and took some time in the fridge to set.  Even so they were quite fragile

The  other recipe used coconut.  I only had white choc chips and a block of 70% chocolate.  White chocolate seemed too sweet for anyone and dark chocolate seemed too bitter for children.  (But any sort of chocolate could be used.)  These ones set quickly and were quite hard.  They reminded me of coconut roughs.  Which is a very good thing.

These nests were easy to make and even easier to eat.  They are great to make with young children.  Sylvia was able to help counting out eggs, stirring the mixture and arranging the eggs in the nests.

Both versions could be made without the eggs at any time of year.  The cornflake ones would be best in a cupcake paper (to stop them falling apart) and I would make the coconut chocolate into small balls if you didn't them it big enough to hold an egg or three.  In fact, you could even make them smaller nests with just one egg.

These nests are great for sharing.  The day after making them we had a busy day that was fuelled by nests.  Sylvia took some down to my parents to share with her cousins (and grandparents).  E and I went to see Le Week-end at the movies and had some coconut nests after our dinner at the fish and chip shop.  (I had a burger.)  Earlier in the day Sylvia and some school friends went to see Shrek at the movies and we took the leftover easter eggs along, which the kids loved!

I can see these being repeated in Easters to come.  Maybe we will experiment with them further.  Crispy noodles, muesli and shredded wheat are other ideas.  I have also seen them made with butterscotch chips or chopped honeycomb.  And I particularly love the sound of these coconut macaroon nutella nests.  The possibilities are endless.  And delicious.

I am sending these Easter nests to Rachel Coterill for We Should Cocoa, with the theme of Easter this month.  Stuart at Cakey Boi  has chosen Spring into Easter for Treat Petite and Catherine of Cate's Cates has Easter Inspirations for this month.

Previous easter recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Easter eggs with lime cheesecake filling (gf, v)
Easter egg pizza
Hot Cross Buns
Wholemeal Hot Cross Buns (v)

And a few other GGG ideas for filled chocolates:
Chocolates with almond butter filling (gf, v)
Chocolates with healthy caramel filling (gf, v)
Chocolates with healthy peppermint filling (gf, v)
Chocolates with peppermint filling (gf, v)
Orange and sweet potato filled chocolates (gf, v) 

Chocolate Easter Egg Nests (with coconut)
Adapted from Serious Eats
Makes 10-12

100g 70% dark chocolate, broken up
120g white choc chips (or other choc chips)
1 1/3 cups dessicated coconut
packet of mini chocolate eggs 

Melt chocolate and choc chips in the microwave or on stovetop.  Stir in coconut.  Place spoonfuls of mixture on a lined baking sheet.  Press three mini eggs into the middle of each nest.  Allow to set at room temperature.  (This didn't take took long - perhaps an hour!)  Keep in an airtight container.

Chocolate Easter Egg Nests (with cornflakes)
From BBC Food
Makes 12

225g/8oz dark chocolate choc chips
2 tbsp golden syrup
50g/2oz butter (or margarine)
75g/3oz cornflakes
36 mini chocolate eggs (approximately)

Melt chocolate, golden syrup and butter together in microwave or on stovetop.  Mix in cornflakes until well covered.  Spoon a heap onto a lined baking tray and press three eggs into the middle.  Set in the fridge for an hour or two.  Keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

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