When I was little and all of the cousins were gathered together at my grandparents’ farm for the Easter holiday, we loved dyeing eggs and getting up to find them in the morning (we also got to hunt for plastic eggs filled with candy)!
One of the snacks my grandma would always make with us were what she called Candy Bird’s Nests. I think their official name (according to an old cookbook I found) is Easter Bird’s Nests with Chocolate Eggs.
They are made with what might seem like a strange ingredient–dry chow mein noodles. But when combined with peanut butter and marshmallows, it makes a delicious and unique treat that is perfect for spring.
You could make these with your children and bring them along as a dessert for Easter holiday gatherings as well, or deliver them to a friend!
This recipe makes approximately 10 bird’s nests, so feel free to double or triple.
Easter Bird’s Nests with Chocolate Eggs and Chow Mein Noodles
Ingredients
- 3 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1/4-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups dry chow mein noodles
- Cooking spray or butter
- 40 candy-coated milk chocolate eggs or Reese’s Pieces eggs
Directions
- Combine the marshmallows, peanut butter, and butter in a saucepan
- Cook and stir continuously over medium heat until the marshmallows have melted completely (takes about 5 minutes)
- Add chow mein noodles into a large bowl and pour the marshamallow mixture over the noodles. Stir to coat.
- Form mixture into balls by using an ice cream scoop for equal-sized nests
- Hollow out the center of each ball, forming with your hands to make a nest
- Add 3-4 chocolate or peanut butter eggs to each nest
Note: You may want to spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray or rub a little butter onto your fingertips so that the mixture doesn’t stick like crazy!
**I find that starting with 1/4 cup and adding up to 1/3 cup peanut butter still gives that balance of creamy and crunchy, but add it a bit at a time, so you don’t end up with nests that fall apart because they have too much peanut butter added.
A tasty and fun snack to make with kids during the spring and Easter season.
WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?
