Chocolate Easter Nests
Everyone’s favourite bake to make with kids. Chocolate-coated cornflakes, topped with mini eggs – it can only be Chocolate Easter Nests!
Is there a more iconic Easter baking recipe than the classic Chocolate Easter Nest? Super simple to make and an instant hit with children and adults alike. It’s almost like a rite of passage to make chocolate Easter nests as a kid; be it with parents or grandparents, or at school or nursery…it seems like we have all made these in one form or another in our childhood.
The concept is simple. Your cereal of choice (I like cornflakes, but Rice Crispies is another great option), coated in chocolate and topped with some mini chocolate eggs. Even the youngest of bakers can assist in this recipe, as, other than melting the chocolate ingredients, no fancy or potentially dangerous equipment is required.
Although be warned…when making chocolate nests with children, a little extra chocolate may be required – finger dipping and spoon licking is practically guaranteed! And maybe have a least double the amount of mini eggs you think you will need, as these have a habit of somehow disappearing into thin air before they even see a finished nest.
Ingredients for Chocolate Easter Nests:
Cornflakes
The iconic breakfast cereal is my nest-filler of choice. I find cornflakes to be the perfect combo of taste and texture. Not too obvious a flavour on their own, so perfect when mixed with the chocolate. And they keep a good amount of crunch, even once coated in the chocolate mix.
Milk Chocolate
Of course, you need chocolate in a chocolate Easter nest! Milk chocolate is ideal and guaranteed to be a hit with kids. If you prefer a richer chocolate taste, though, you can swap it for dark chocolate, or even half milk chocolate, half dark chocolate.
Butter or Margarine
The addition of some butter or margarine helps thin out your chocolate a little, meaning it can coat your cornflakes better. Not only that, it means that once the chocolate sets, you won’t break your teeth when you bite into the nests!
If you are using margarine, a block margarine is preferable. This is due to the soft-spread varieties having a higher water content, and potentially thinning your chocolate out more than you’d like.
Golden Syrup
Similar the butter/margarine, golden syrup helps to thin out your chocolate a little, whilst also adding a little bit of extra sweetness too.
Chocolate Easter Nests
INGREDIENTS
- 100g Cornflakes
- 250 g Milk Chocolate
- 50 g Butter or Margarine
- 2 tbsp
Golden Syrup (Substitutions) - Mini Eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tray with a little excess butter/margarine. Set aside.
- In a bain-marie, melt the chocolate, butter/margarine and golden syrup; stirring continuously.
- Once melted, add your cornflakes and gently mix well, until all the cornflakes are coated in the chocolate mixture.
- Spoon the chocolate-coated cornflakes into your prepared tray, gently pressing them into place and creating a slight indent in the middle.
- Add a few mini eggs to the middle of each chocolate nest, gently pressing them into place.
- Allow your nests to set in the fridge for an hour or two, before enjoying.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
You can absolutely use different cereals in your chocolate Easter nests. I often change between cornflakes and Rice Krispies as they are both delicious in this recipe. I’d recommend using a little less Rice Crispies, though, as they are a little lighter, and you’ll end up with a lot more volume if you match the weight with cornflakes.
You can also use shredded wheat if you wish. Although it does give the most nest-like appearance, it’s not one I generally use, but the flavour is never quite as good as when you would use cornflakes or rice crispies.
Of course you can. However, the addition of some butter/margarine and golden syrup helps to thin out your chocolate a little and makes the nest mixture far easier to work with and completely coat your cereal. Not only that, it also means you are less likely to break your teeth on your nests when you bite into them!
No, you do not need any paper cupcake cases or muffin cases for making chocolate Easter nests. In fact, I made a conscious decision not to suggest using them in this recipe. They are unnecessary given that you can make them directly in the muffin tray, which not only reduces the cost involved in making these, but also produces less waste & is better for the environment.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: To make this a recipe for Gluten-free Chocolate Easter Nests, simply make sure each of your recipes is gluten-free. Gluten-free cornflakes can usually be found in your supermarket’s free-from shelves. Butter/margarine and golden syrup are generally gluten-free by default (always double-check when serving those with coeliac disease). Some chocolates may contain hidden gluten, so double-check for that too.
Nut-free: This recipe does not contain any nuts, but be sure to double-check your ingredients individually when serving to anyone with nut allergies.
Egg-free: This recipe does not contain any eggs, but be sure to double-check your ingredients individually when serving to anyone with an egg allergy or intolerance.
Dairy-free: To make this a recipe for Dairy-free Chocolate Easter Nests, simply use a dairy-free margarine and a dairy-free chocolate (free-from or vegan). Doisy and Dam also make dark chocolate mini eggs that are perfect for the middle of your dairy-free chocolate nests.
Vegan: As above, to make this a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Easter Nests, simply use a dairy-free margarine and a vegan chocolate. Doisy and Dam also make dark chocolate mini eggs that are perfect for the middle of your vegan chocolate nests.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes โfree-fromโ or vegan are purely that โ suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
When I make these, I use desiccated coconut in place cornflakes or Rice krispies.
Amazing idea, how is the texture? Do they get crispy?
Made these with my kids today. They taste amazing and the texture is perfect – no breaking teeth or anything as you bite into them. I think the addition of butter/margarine. We melted down one of the kidsโ Easter eggs to use in the recipe.
Try it with bran flakes!
*tried
i donโt know why, but it really adds something over using corn flakes.
Also, Shreddies (Nestle – donโt know if sold under the same name in the USA ) are amazing if you crush them up first. Same texture as shredded wheat but the added malt flavourโฆ. so good
Can I use maple syrup instead of golden syrup?