Birds’ Nests

It’s finally Spring!

Which, to me, means budding flowers, longer days with sunshine, birds singing, and the possibility of breaking out the flip-flops (which are my favorite kind of shoes).  Another sign of Spring is the endless aisles of pastel Easter candies lining the front of my grocery store.  Easter candy.  It’s a wonderful thing.

I decided to immortalize these well-known Spring treats by putting them on my blog.  I made them with my nephews, who were amazed by the tiny eggs.  Elliott was happy because I had chocolate and peanut butter in the same “cookie”: two of his favorite things in the whole world.  There is no baking involved here, friends.  Just a microwave and an excuse to get your hands covered in chocolate.  They took me less than 10 minutes to combine, and then I chilled them in the refrigerator before sharing them with the boys.  A simple and festive way to celebrate the days of Spring?  I think so!!!

Birds’ Nests

Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, for greasing the muffin pan

6 ounces (1/2 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 ounces (1/2 bag) of butterscotch chips

1 cup creamy peanut butter

6 ounces (1/2 of a large bag) of chow mein noodles

36 mini Cadbury eggs

Instructions

1. Generously grease the wells of a muffin pan with the butter (this will help later when you are taking out the chilled nests).

2. In a large microwave-proof bowl, heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips in 30 second intervals until thoroughly melted, stirring after each increment.**It only took me two 30-second intervals.

3. Once melted, add the peanut butter to the chocolate/butterscotch mixture, mixing well until smooth and completely combined.

4. Carefully add the chow mein noodles, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until completely coated.

5. Using a large spoon, mold the mixture into the wells of your muffin tin, indenting the tops slightly with the back of the spoon.

6.  Chill the nests until hardened, about 1 hour or so.

7.  Once chilled, gently remove the nests from the muffin tin.***I used a butter knife as a lever to pop them out-this seemed to work.

8.  Place three eggs (or colored jelly beans!) on the tops of each nest.

Source: Adapted from gimmesomeoven

April 7, 2011 - 7:24 am

branny - I adore this treat! Yum.

April 7, 2011 - 11:32 am

Lauren at Keep It Sweet - These are so cute!

April 7, 2011 - 2:42 pm

Michaela - Do you think this would work with pretzels instead of chow mein noodles?

April 7, 2011 - 3:31 pm

srlacy - Sure! And the sweet and salty combo sounds awesome!

April 7, 2011 - 4:22 pm

natalie (the sweets life) - ha too funny–i just made these last weekend with pretzels and M&M eggs…will be on my blog next week 🙂

April 10, 2011 - 2:20 am

what katie's baking - oh yaayyy for spring and Easter candy!!!
these are so adorable… and yummy looking!!

April 23, 2011 - 8:42 pm

Bird’s Nests « Lea & Jay - […] Recipe from the Curvy Carrot […]

February 7, 2012 - 8:45 pm

megan - can i make these for a baby shower two days before hand, put them in tupperware and drive them 5 hours?

February 8, 2012 - 8:21 am

srlacy - I would assume so. They don’t necessarily need to be refrigerated.

February 28, 2012 - 11:35 pm

Candace - LOVE this idea but I need a substitute for the peanut butter (one is allergic). Any ideas???

February 29, 2012 - 8:59 am

srlacy - Is it all nuts or just peanuts? I would recommend any kind of nut butter-I bet almond or that “sun butter” (you can find it in specialty food aisles) would be good. Anything that is sticky and would help bind everything together would be ideal. Good luck!

March 8, 2012 - 2:49 pm

alicia - soynut butter as a substitute for pb would be yummy:)

March 9, 2012 - 8:19 pm

Deliciously Pinning: I Can't Stop Pinteresting Spring! - […] thecurvycarrot.com via Jane on […]

March 19, 2012 - 3:01 pm

Megu - Did you happen to use mini muffin tins or the regular size? These look so cute and small but I am not sure 🙂 I want to try this with nutella!

March 19, 2012 - 11:37 pm

srlacy - Hi Megu-

I used the regular-sized muffin tin. Nutella sounds delish!

March 21, 2012 - 4:49 pm

Janette - Is there any substitute for the peanut butter for kids who have nut allergies?

March 21, 2012 - 5:32 pm

srlacy - Hi Janette-

Another reader asked the same question (see the comment above.) I haven’t tried it personally, but a “sun butter” or soy nut butter alternative might work. Good luck!

March 22, 2012 - 1:28 pm

shelley vaugine - Can fine egg noodles be substituted for chow mein noodles?????

March 22, 2012 - 1:37 pm

srlacy - Hi Shelley-

Not too sure since I haven’t tried it. This recipe is pretty flexible, though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it works. If it turns out, let me know!

March 22, 2012 - 3:31 pm

Megu - Thank you! I can’t wait ot make this!

March 22, 2012 - 8:44 pm

Easter Treats Brought to you by Pinterest | For The Sake of Cake - […] Birds’ Nest from The Curvy Carrot […]

March 25, 2012 - 12:12 am

Sarah - Sorry this may be obvious but do you have to cook the noodles a bit first?

March 25, 2012 - 7:13 am

srlacy - Hi Sarah- no cooking necessary. Please refer to the recipe.

March 25, 2012 - 3:32 pm

KerryAndGabe.com - Blog » Blog Archive » The Sunday Somethings, 25mar12 - […] tasty: I made these bird nests with the kids. Thank you, pinterest! […]

March 27, 2012 - 11:27 am

Hannah - Planning on making these for Easter! Thanks for the recipe. quick question….If you put the candies on after the nest cools will they still stick?

March 27, 2012 - 11:45 am

srlacy - Hi Hannah-

I found that my nests never completely hardened-meaning that they were always a little bit sticky. You could get away with putting those eggs on top while they are still warm. I experimented the other night using those same eggs and warm chocolate cookies-they stuck but the eggshells cracked a little. 🙂

March 28, 2012 - 11:33 pm

Easter Traditions and DIY Crafts | Saving with Sunshine - […] Nests: Hand these Easter Nests out for a delicious dessert! You can make them with chow mein noodles or rice […]

March 30, 2012 - 11:17 pm

kkadi - i have made these before using Fiber One cereal…low fat/high fiber and still yummy!

March 31, 2012 - 1:00 am

This Weeks Delish - […] little birds nest’s that make a delicious […]

April 2, 2012 - 12:38 pm

Kerry - Could you make these in muffin papers or do you think it would stick?

April 2, 2012 - 12:48 pm

srlacy - Hi Kerry-
I think you need the structure of the muffin tin to hold the shape of the nests.

April 2, 2012 - 10:02 pm

15 Easter crafts, foods and activities - […] Source: thecurvycarrot.com […]

April 3, 2012 - 11:23 am

Mandy - This is adorable and I will be making these for Easter this year! Thanks for the recipe. I do have one quick question…can these be frozen? Or is it a treat that should be made day of/night before? Thanks!

April 3, 2012 - 11:43 am

srlacy - Hi Mandy-

I have not tried freezing them, so I don’t want to steer you wrong. All I can say is to try it and see what happens. Usually chocolate things freeze pretty well, so it might not be a bad idea! Good luck!

April 3, 2012 - 1:19 pm

Therese - Hey – great recipe; I will try it this holiday weekend! I am going to try turning the muffin pan upside down and putting a square of waxed paper on top of each one, then forming the nest over it that way. I think it’s such a versatile recipe you can probably do a million things with it!

April 3, 2012 - 3:23 pm

Yvette Jenkins - I love these Birds’ Nest. Such a creative idea. Thanks for sharing.

April 4, 2012 - 9:39 am

Easy Easter DIY DIY Tutorials - 10 Awesome Ideas! - […] DIY Chocolate Birds’ nests from ‘The Curvy Carrot’ TUTORIAL HERE! […]

April 4, 2012 - 3:42 pm

Sarah - I’m a bit confused, do the noodles soften? Raw crunchy noodles seems a little bit odd to me but I shouldnt knock it until I’ve tried it.

April 4, 2012 - 4:14 pm

srlacy - They don’t soften, but it adds to the crunchiness. It’s awesome!

April 4, 2012 - 8:05 pm

kristen - you can substitute rice crispies. they are super yummy too. I bet corn flakes would work as well!

April 5, 2012 - 12:12 am

Kristi - For those asking about the noodles, they are not pasta noodles…chow mein noodles are similar to cereal…

April 6, 2012 - 5:41 pm

Easter Activities for your Family | Trusting ConnectionsTrusting Connections - […] TipsGlow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg HuntMagic Jelly BeansAnd here are some yummy, kid-friendly recipes:Bird’s NestEaster Cake PopsLemon Sugar CookiesTrusting Connections wishes you and your family a wonderful […]

April 6, 2012 - 11:19 pm

Last Minute Healthy Easter Recipes | Nicole's Nutrition - […] Chocolate bird nests from The Curvy Carrot […]

April 8, 2012 - 4:40 pm

Sue - I made these using only 1/2 cup peanut butter and I used 3/4 of the bag of chow mein noodles because I wanted them to be firmer. Also I made some in mini muffin pans because I am taking them to a garden club potluck and I wanted them to be smaller. They turned out awesome!!! Can’t wait to show them off at the garden club.

April 9, 2012 - 7:06 am

More Pinterest Success « MJ Fredrick - […] little nests (recipe HERE): Also, that’s the pan I got at the Starving Artist […]

April 10, 2012 - 3:38 am

radtechgirl05 - I had used muffin liners inside the muffin tin,when I had made mine. I liked them because it made them easier to transport to work, and eat with out getting your hands sticky and covered in chocolate.

April 11, 2012 - 3:57 pm

Deb - I made these for Grandkids, and they loved them. I used Sun Butter as a sub. for Peanut butter . 1 of the g-kids is very allergic to peanut butter so I rarely use it when they come for a meal. It can be used just like peanut butter, the taste is very much like P-butter the closes to the real thing I have found. Thanks for a great recipe!

April 11, 2012 - 10:02 pm

DaciaRay.com » Easter Egg Dyeing Party - […] beet salad sandwiches along with homemade pickles, some snacks and PB&J for the kids; and the chocolate egg nests for dessert. This is my tried and true egg salad recipe I dice the onion and red pepper and add it […]

October 25, 2012 - 9:51 pm

Rose - I can’t wait to make a version of these for favors at an owl themed baby shower I’m planning! Too cute!

January 18, 2013 - 4:25 pm

Jackie - I have made this with shoestring potatoes, its delicious

February 22, 2013 - 9:36 pm

Michelle - I’m in Australia and I don’t think we have butterscotch chips. Anyone know of a good substitute? Or maybe I’ll just leave them out. Might try them with melted chocolate, shredded coconut and crunchy noodles for the kids’ school this year. Great recipe, thanks!

February 28, 2013 - 9:25 pm

lisa - I was thinking Nutella!

March 9, 2013 - 5:05 pm

Emma - What are butterscotch chips?????

March 9, 2013 - 5:07 pm

Emma - I’m also Australian. Never heard if butterscotch chips. We have potato chips 🙂 and butterscotch lollies (‘candies’) but not the two combined.

March 10, 2013 - 10:51 pm

donna m - They are the same as chocolate chips that you use in cookies only butterscotch flavored instead. Here they are sold in the baking aisle next to the chocolate ones.

March 15, 2013 - 2:12 pm

Lisa Mullens - Did anyone male these and freeze them? I need to make 100 of them but don’t have the time to do all at one time. Thanks!

March 22, 2013 - 8:01 am

Easter Ideas « Brown Sugar ToastBrown Sugar Toast - […] Bird’s Nests – well sure, they’re super cute. but did you know there’s no baking involved? perfect for kids to help with the entire process! definitely want to try these out this week! […]

March 22, 2013 - 6:47 pm

Some Sweet Easter DIYS » Photography by UI, Unforgettable Impressions Portrait Photographer - […] Felt Bunny Finger Puppets By Purl Bee 2) Birds Nests By The Curvy Carrot 3) Bunny Ear Bags By Oh Happy Day 4) Coconut Nest Cupcakes By Martha Stewart Living 5) Easter […]

March 24, 2013 - 2:06 pm

Mary - Try using Almond Bark….it is white and it might be the best!

March 26, 2013 - 12:43 pm

Jeanie - I wouldn’t think that egg noodles would work at all. I would stick with the chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks.

March 26, 2013 - 12:47 pm

Jeanie - Sarah: Chow mein noodles you can eat right out of the can. You do not cook chow mein noodles. Now there was another lady asking about egg noodles which I don’t think would be a good idea. You have to cook egg noodles, but after cooking them, they would be limp and not work well with this recipe.

March 26, 2013 - 12:52 pm

Jeanie - like chocolate chips, only butterscotch

March 26, 2013 - 1:06 pm

Susie M - Here’s a thought for those who have to be careful of nut allergies, how about a few marshmallows instead?
OK it really ups the sugar content, but hey, it’s Easter, it’s a candy dessert… and basically, you’re stretching out the chocolate to cover more ‘nests’ and not turn rock hard – so, if you have kids with allergies, experiment a little, butter, corn syrup, marsh mallows, all those kinds of things will work. They do for rice crispy treats.

Have fun in the kitchen, add chopped maraschino cherries, raisins, cereal, pretzel twigs, chex, whatever you happen to have on hand…. after all, that’s how birds build nests right?

March 26, 2013 - 5:54 pm

Lizzy - How long will these keep? How do you suggest they are stored?

March 26, 2013 - 9:16 pm

srlacy - Hi Lizzy-
These should keep in a tightly covered container for a couple of days. I would wait to add the mini chocolate eggs until you serve them.

March 27, 2013 - 9:40 am

Marilyn Hall - I thought the birds nests would be a wonderful addition to the Easter dinner for the family, but was EXTREMELY disappointed when I had to print 12 pages of unrelated information before the recipe even appeared!!

March 27, 2013 - 11:09 am

srlacy - Hi Marilyn-

Currently, I do not have a printer-friendly button on this page with the current template I am forced to use. If you would like to print the recipe only, please copy and paste the recipe directly into a Word document. Most users no longer print recipes. In a few months, when the website is relaunched, this will no longer be a problem. I hope you still enjoy your Easter holiday with your family with these nests despite the hassle of having to print out extra pages.

March 27, 2013 - 11:07 pm

Jen - Did they stick to the liners?

March 27, 2013 - 11:23 pm

srlacy - Hi Jen-

If you generously spray or grease the pan (as stated in #1 in the instructions), they should not stick.

March 28, 2013 - 8:57 am

Jen - I was asking if they stuck to the muffin liners, but thanks. I tried some this morning with liners and without, we’l see how they come out.

March 28, 2013 - 1:37 pm

Terri - I made these and they were yummy, the only problem I had was after they set up overnight in the refrigerator they melted during the day and became sticky. I wonder if you could use candy melts instead of the chips.

March 29, 2013 - 7:12 am

cbrinco - these are impossibly beautiful BUT they’re inedible!
what a waste of ingredients…the chow mein noodles are not just crunchy they’re going to break someone’s dental work! I’m so glad I tried them out before sharing them with my entire family over Easter. that would have just been embarrassing! I’m doing it again using the pretzels, as suggested by another user.

March 29, 2013 - 10:03 am

srlacy - Hi cbrinco-

I hope they work out better for you with the pretzels. I am curious as to what type/brand of chow mein noodles you used.

March 29, 2013 - 9:03 pm

Last Minute Easter Ideas | ginger, lemon & spice - […] 2. Bird’s Nests […]

March 30, 2013 - 9:04 pm

Lizzi - These are so cute! I making them for Easter this year! They are extremely easy, and look delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

March 31, 2013 - 9:52 am

Birds’ Nests | Shiny Happy Peebles - […] I’ve been saving: Birds’ Nests. Check out the original recipe by The Curvy Carrot here. Her version makes 12 servings, so I just doubled the recipe since I have several family functions […]

April 30, 2013 - 2:36 pm

Birds Nests - […] For recipe visit the source:  thecurvycarrot.com […]

June 11, 2013 - 4:06 am

Shirl Lord - I have frozen them and also shipped them (all the way to China), but it might depend on the temperature of the weather since they may melt. Just don’t put any other cookies in the same plastic bag in they melt a little.The recipient can just toss them in the fridge or freezer to re-harden.

August 20, 2013 - 1:21 am

20 Easter crafts, foods and activities | Mum`s Grapevine - […] Source: thecurvycarrot.com […]

September 24, 2013 - 4:23 am

20 Easter crafts, foods and activities | Mum's Grapevine - […] Source: thecurvycarrot.com […]

February 21, 2014 - 3:43 pm

10 Easter Craft Ideas for Kids | Carefree Crafts - […] look scrumptious! The Curvy Carrot used chow mein noodles, peanut butter, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and mini Cadbury eggs […]

February 25, 2014 - 11:40 pm

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Butterscotch Bird’s Nests | PINTEREST(ing) Food - […] spring days, I decided to make a spring themed treat! A year or so ago I found this recipe from “The Curvy Carrot”, and thought it was too cute to pass up. I pinned this to my Tasty Treats board so I could save it […]

March 5, 2014 - 5:32 pm

Happy Easter!! | This Girl's Life Blog - […] April 8, 2012 blogging Leave a comment Hoppy Easter!!! I just thought I would post a little Easter fun today in the form of some Easter Pins. I hope that you are all enjoying this Easter Sunday and getting to spend some time with your wonderful families. If you are a pinoholic like myself and want to pin these fun pins i’ve left the source to the original blogs. Please check out their blogs so you can pin to their original home. Thanks On to the fun…. I have seen jars done like this before with other objects. I’m trying to come up with something that would work good in my office.  {Source} I love this Easter art, even better that it’s a free printable. {Source} These little eggs are fun and look cute in a bowl or strung up for garland. {Source} & of course I had to have some kind of food thrown in…. I love these birds nest and they would be a great treat all Spring long. {Source} […]

March 10, 2014 - 7:20 pm

Happy Easter!! - This Girl's Life Blog - […] Hoppy Easter!!! I just thought I would post a little Easter fun today in the form of some Easter Pins. I hope that you are all enjoying this Easter Sunday and getting to spend some time with your wonderful families. If you are a pinoholic like myself and want to pin these fun pins i’ve left the source to the original blogs. Please check out their blogs so you can pin to their original home. Thanks On to the fun…. I have seen jars done like this before with other objects. I’m trying to come up with something that would work good in my office.  {Source} I love this Easter art, even better that it’s a free printable. {Source} These little eggs are fun and look cute in a bowl or strung up for garland. {Source} & of course I had to have some kind of food thrown in…. I love these birds nest and they would be a great treat all Spring long. {Source} […]

March 17, 2014 - 10:52 pm

» Blog Archive » 5 Random Things - […] Chocolate haystack thingies with jelly beans. Cute! Recipe HERE […]

March 25, 2014 - 5:33 pm

Birds’ Nests | Sweet Treat Eats - […] For Directions go here! […]

March 26, 2014 - 7:20 pm

20 Easter crafts, foods and activities | Mum's Grapevine - […] What else you you need at Easter but … more chocolate! Create these chocolate-covered noodle birds’ nests with this recipe at The Curvy Carrot. […]

March 30, 2014 - 11:31 am
April 1, 2014 - 3:56 pm

Busy Mom’s Guide to a Quick (But Fantastic) Easter Brunch | A Life in Bloom - […] Birds Nests recipe found at The Curvy Carrot.  […]

April 7, 2014 - 4:15 am

Kitchenbug / The Ultimate Guide to Making your Own Easter Candy - […] 9. Sometimes you just want to make something that doesn’t require turning on the oven.  These no-bake bird nests are made of Chow-Mein noodles. The kids will love these. […]

April 9, 2014 - 9:25 am

Easter Celebration - Shareight - […] Easter party is complete without chocolate egg nests! We found a great recipe on the Curvy Carrot blog where you can find the recipe for these classic Easter […]

April 9, 2014 - 5:54 pm

Rosy - Is there some other way to create that nest structure without using the noodles? I find it weird having to boil the noodles and then coat them in chocolate mixture :/

April 9, 2014 - 6:23 pm

srlacy - Hi Rosy-
I’m afraid you have your noodles mixed up. These are not pasta noodles. They are dried chow mein noodles.

April 10, 2014 - 6:21 am

Rosy - Do you have some sort of link to what the packet looks like because what I’ve found on the internet is like normal noodles except it looks like here you just leave them raw :/

April 10, 2014 - 7:34 am

srlacy - Rosy-
Look up La Choy dried chow mein noodles. It’s the brand that most people are familiar with.

April 15, 2014 - 11:17 pm

hannah - Would putting wax paper in the muffin tins help?

April 15, 2014 - 11:30 pm

srlacy - Sure!

April 18, 2014 - 7:53 am

twoinspiredesign - […] with a single flower and the branches for some height.   And to add a little fun to the table these will be […]

April 20, 2014 - 12:49 pm

rcarr - I noticed a lot of questions about the noodles. Chow mein noodles are not pasta but more of a crunchy topping you can add to soups and noodle dishes. They don’t need to be cooked or anything– you can eat them right out of the bag!

April 20, 2014 - 2:27 pm

rcarr - Here’s what they look like, they’ll be a couple of bucks in the aisle with other Asian foods: http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/156179/La-Choy-Chow-Mein-Noodles.htm

April 21, 2014 - 4:39 am

Easter egg nests | Little Creative House - […] Original idea from The Curvy Carrot […]

May 22, 2014 - 12:57 pm

» Last Minute Easter Ideas ginger, lemon & spice - […] 2. Bird’s Nests […]

May 28, 2014 - 1:41 pm

Easter Treat Ideas from Pinterest – Round 2 | TheBigQ - […] thecurvycarrot.com via Mel@Outnumbered on […]

November 16, 2014 - 8:52 am

Easter Treats & Sweets | thecreativemummy - […] Bird’s Nest – The Curvy Carrot […]

February 15, 2015 - 11:56 pm

Kristen - For those of you asking about peanut butter replacements, I made these yesterday for a baby shower and completely forgot to add the peanut butter! They set up just fine and tasted delicious. Everyone loved them! I may repeat this “accident” every time!