Over the Easter weekend, I decided to make a little treat to share. I wanted to create something that was easy but cute…and I was inspired by a recipe I found on The fauxMartha. She created the most beautiful coconut macaroon bird nests with jordan almond eggs (they are so gorgeous, you really should check them out). I decided to take that idea and run with it in my own way. Thus, my coconut macaroon nests were born:
I know I’m biased, but aren’t they the cutest things you’ve ever seen? And what is even better – they were SO easy to make, and required only a few ingredients. I’ve been enjoying these little chocolate/coconut concoctions for the past few days…sadly only one remains as of now! I might have to whip up a new batch…
Coconut Macaroon Bird Nests
***adapted from The fauxMartha***
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups shredded coconut (sweetened)
- 6 oz chocolate chips (1/2 bag), or other chocolate to melt
- Chocolate Easter egg candies (I used Hershey's milk chocolate eggs)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix egg white, honey, vanilla, and coconut. Stir until combined.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon into each muffin tin. Press the coconut mixture to the sides of each well, making sure to leave a small hollow center in the bottom as well.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the coconut is golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow pan to cool completely.
- When the pan is cool, use a knife to carefully separate the nests from the muffin pan (work around the edges first). Don't panic if they break a bit - you can always use the chocolate to repair them in the next step. Place the nests on a tray lined with a sheet of waxed paper.
- In a microwave safe dish, melt your chocolate. Scoop about ½ oz of chocolate into the hollow center of each nest (I simply started scooping and distributed the chocolate as equally as possible). If you have a broken nest to repair, you can use the melted chocolate as "glue" to patch them back together. Place 3 chocolate eggs in each nest.
- Place the tray of nests in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Remove, and serve nests at room temperature.
I am seriously in love with these tasty treats, and I am going to be tempted to make them even when it isn’t springtime. You could definitely create this recipe without the “bird’s eggs” in the nest. Also, it might be fun to use a mini muffin pan to make smaller, bite size coconut macaroons!
Are you a fan of chocolate and coconut combined?
Brilliant, easy, gluten free! I had to pin it. Yay!
Yay! I was actually making them because Justin’s aunt is on a gluten-free diet so I didn’t want her to feel left out from the Easter treats! And…I like chocolate/coconut together. Can’t help myself.
Yours turned out so cute!!
How cute would these be for a baby shower?? adorable!
Pinned these. I made coconut nests on top of cupcakes for Easter but I’m not a big cupcake fan. Next year I will make these. Jelly Belly beans in spotted pastels make great fake eggs.
You’re so creative!! I am sure they tasted as good as they look. I also have something to share on the topic with your readers here: If you want to master the art and science of macaron making then you may want to check out http://www.TheMacaronMaster.com/ – it shows how to create macaRONS – they are not the same as macaroons though!But very cute!!!
these are perfectly adorable! how many little baskets does this recipe make – 6?
Liz – It made a dozen (or maybe 11…it’s been a year since I made them last)! The easy part of this is you can always add a bit more coconut into the bowl if you think it isn’t going to be enough to fill each muffin tin. You want it to be spread thin in the cups, so it doesn’t take much coconut to do so!