Bird's Nest Cookies

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This recipe calls for only a few ingredients and uses pantry staples so you should already have everything you need at home.
• The combination of peanut butter and rich chocolate makes these treats taste amazing!
• The puffed rice cereal adds a wonderful crunch to these Easter cookies.
• This is a no-bake cookie recipe and is easy to make.
• These chocolate peanut butter rice treats are topped with mini Cadbury eggs to make them look like a bird's nest! This is a fun recipe to make for Spring or Easter.
• This recipe is fun to make with kids or young baking enthusiasts.
• These delicious bird nest cookies stay good for a week in the fridge so you can make them in advance and they still taste fresh.

Ingredients

• Natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt!)
• Chocolate chips
• Puffed rice cereal
• Cadbury mini eggs, for topping

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions

Need to make a substitution or missing an ingredient? Here are some ways you can alter this recipe to fit your unique dietary needs.

• Dairy-free? You’ll want to use dairy-free chocolate or chocolate chips to make this recipe without any dairy. Use dairy-free mini eggs or toppings.
• Gluten-free? Make sure you choose a gluten-free cereal. Puffed rice cereal should already be gluten-friendly but you can look for a certified gluten-free brand.
• Vegan? Use dairy-free chocolate or chocolate chips to make these treats vegan. Use vegan mini eggs or toppings.
• Peanut butter? You can substitute the peanut butter for a different nut or seed butter of your choosing, such as almond butter or sunflower seed butter. I have only made these bird's nest cookies with natural, drippy peanut butter (ingredients are just peanuts and salt), but they should still work with traditional peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.

Variations

Here are a few ideas for customizing this recipe and making different flavor variations:

• Switch up the chocolate! You can use dark, milk, bittersweet, semi-sweet, or even white chocolate.
• Change up the toppings. Instead of Cadbury chocolate eggs, you can top these easter cookies with sprinkles, chopped nuts, peanut butter M&Ms or other types of mini eggs.
• Add a little extra salt, vanilla extract, or cinnamon to the chocolate peanut butter mixture to mix up the taste.
• Add some chopped peanuts or use chunky natural peanut butter for some crunch!
• Use a different nut or seed butter like almond butter or sunflower butter. I have only made this recipe with natural peanut butter, so I can’t speak to how other nut or seed butter would taste. If you try making these with another nut or seed butter, leave a comment and let me know how they turned out. 

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

How To Make Easter Birds Nest Cookies

Step 1: Add natural peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter to a bowl.

Step 2: Melt in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth and melted.

Step 3: Add your puffed rice cereal to the melted chocolate peanut butter mixture.

Step 4: Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to fold the cereal until it is fully coated with the chocolate mixture. Adjust the amount of rice cereal if needed.

Step 5: Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Add the chocolate rice mixture into each muffin tin. Use a tablespoon to make a small indent in the center of each muffin cup. This is where the mini eggs will sit.

Step 6: Place the muffin tin in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate is set.

Step 7: Once the chocolate is set, slide a butter knife or the handle of a measuring cup along the side of the muffin tin to release and scoop the chocolate cookie cup out of the tin.

Step 8: Arrange the bird's nest cookie cups on a small baking tray or platter. Top each no-bake cookie with 3 mini eggs. Store in the fridge so the chocolate does not melt. Serve chilled.

Expert Baking Tips

• If using natural peanut butter (recommended), make sure it has a drippy, smooth consistency. A freshly opened jar works best.
• Don't forget to grease your muffin tin so the birds nest cookie cups will easily slide out of the muffin tin.
• Use a cookie scoop to portion the chocolate rice mixture into the prepared muffin tin.
• Use the back of a tablespoon to make an indent in each filled muffin tin so the eggs can rest on the top of each cookie.
• Freeze or refrigerate the chocolate rice cups in the muffin tin so they can set and hold their shape.
• Store the finished birds nest cookies in the fridge so the chocolate remains hardened and they stay fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question about this recipe? Here are some additional tips and commonly asked questions:

Equipment

This recipe does not require any baking and therefore does not require many baking tools. You will need a microwave-safe mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a rubber spatula, a cookie scoop, and a muffin tin to make this recipe.

Storage

Refrigerator Instructions

Store finished birds nest cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. Storing the chocolate peanut butter treats in the fridge helps maintain freshness and ensures the chocolate stays set. Plus, these treats taste better chilled.

Freezing Instructions

Place birds nest cookies (without the Cadbury eggs or other decoration on top) in a freezer storage bag and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for a bit so the cookies can soften and add your desired topping before serving. Frozen and thawed treats may differ in texture and flavor than freshly made treats.

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