Chocolate Easter Egg Nests

Prepared with healthy shredded wheat, so there’s no need to feel guilty about eating the chocolate! Chocolate Easter Egg Nests are a no-bake confection that takes less than 10 minutes of your time, and are totally fun to make and even more fun to eat.

Every holiday, without fail, I go out and purchase way too many Cadbury mini eggs and M&Ms. For some reason, I can’t seem to let Easter, Christmas, Valentines, etc., to go by without themed mini eggs or M&Ms. I love to make cookies or treats with them.

You can use either Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey’s Eggies, or Easter-themed M&Ms for this recipe. Any Easter egg-shaped candy will do. These are not baked, so it’s just a matter of topping the nest with your candy of choice before the chocolate sets.

We’re in the middle of bathroom renovations, so we have seen our fair share of hardware stores. Here in Canada, one such store is called Home Hardware. They have a big selection of Cottage Country brand candy near the cash. Every time I go in those stores, the display draws me in. Anyway, they have these marshmallow center candies. These would be perfect for these nests too.

CHOCOLATE CHOICES

Like I already mentioned, I made two batches of these Chocolate Easter Egg Nests. I wanted to show you how they would look with milk chocolate, as well as how they would look with white chocolate.

Try to use a good chocolate, because it will be the dominate flavour. If you’re using chocolate chips, use a trusted brand with good flavour. Here’s how I determine if the chocolate chips are worth it. Pop a few in your mouth and taste them. Do they melt on your tongue? Does it taste like chocolate or just sugar? How’s the texture; are they smooth or gritty? If you don’t enjoy eating them, don’t trust them to be a part of your baking either.

There’s so many flavours of baking chocolate on the market. My go to chocolate is milk chocolate. I just love it. White chocolate is not something I like at all. But, I do use it, because I don’t just bake for myself. Hershey’s has a sea salt caramel that I would most certainly use in this recipe. You could also use dark chocolate chips, or even those Reese’s Peanut Butter chips!

THE RIGHT SHREDDED WHEAT FOR THE JOB

When it comes to using the right shredded wheat, I want to make sure you use the right type. You want to find the large shredded wheat biscuits. Don’t be tempted to use the mini wheats, because crumbling them will be a hassle. The same thing applies to the frosted type. Don’t us those, otherwise, your Chocolate Easter Egg Nests will be too sweet to enjoy.

You will need only 4 of the wheat biscuits. The box contains individual packages consisting of 2 biscuits per package. You will need two packages. In the photographs, you can see that I have white nests as well as brown nests. I made two batches of the recipe. In the first batch, I used milk chocolate, and in the second batch, I used white chocolate.

Crumbling the shredded wheat biscuits couldn’t be easier. In fact, I quite enjoy it! Just get a big, deep bowl and use your hands to squeeze the biscuits. The crumbs do tend to get all over the place, which is why I recommend the big bowl. The goal is to crush them into shreds. Don’t over crush them so that they become crumbs. The goal is to make them look like dried grass.

COCONUT OIL

You will note that I use a bit of coconut oil in the chocolate. I tend to add coconut oil to chocolate when melting it, because it helps to thin it out without running the risk of having the chocolate seize. I’ve tried it with butter, but it didn’t work at all. The chocolate just looked and tasted greasy. The coconut oil, however, incorporates into the chocolate really well.

If you don’t have coconut oil, or if you don’t want to use it, that’s fine. But, your melted chocolate will be thicker and harder to mix through the shredded wheat. I would recommend using about a 1/4 cup more of chocolate to ensure you have enough.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Shredded Wheat Biscuits – Get the large biscuits. You will need 4 biscuits for each batch of nests.
• Chocolate – I used milk chocolate and white chocolate. Any good melting chocolate will work well.
• Coconut Oil – The coconut oil is used to thin out the chocolate, but you can skip it. Add 1/4 cup more chocolate.
• M&Ms – You will need 30 candy for each batch.

MAKING CHOCOLATE EASTER EGG NESTS:

Start by crumbling the shredded wheat so that it looks like pieces of dried grass. Do this in a large, deep bowl to avoid getting cereal everywhere! Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside as well.

Next, add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Add in the coconut oil. Microwave on high for 10 second increments. Stir between each increment. Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, pour it over the prepared shredded wheat. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate through the wheat until fully coated.

Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion the mixture, scoop mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Use your hands to gently form the mixture into the shape of a birds next, complete with a bowl-shape in the center. Immediately push three M&M Easter candy into each nest. Set aside to firm up for at least 2 hours.