Krispy Easter Nest Cookies

Krispy Easter Nest Cookies


Ingredients:

1 (14oz) bag sweetened flake coconut
1 (7.5)oz jar marshmallow fluff
3 cups rice krispies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
jordan almonds, egg shaped candies

Directions:

Place 1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened flake coconut in a bowl. Use a toothpick to apply and stir in a few drops of green food dye. Let dry. Melt 1 (7.5 oz.) jar Marshmallow Fluff in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until soft and pliable. Stir in 3 cups Rice Krispies. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips; remove from heat. Arrange 8 paper cupcake liners on a work surface. Mist hands with cooking spray. Gather a small amount of cereal mixture and shape to fit into a cupcake liner. Add more cereal to make a rim around top. Let cool. Make 7 more. Fill each nest with a bit of coconut and 3 Jordan almonds. 

Marshmallow Chicks

Marshmallow Chicks

Ingredients:

4 TB unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1 TB light corn syrup
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 TB vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup potato starch

Directions:

Prepare candy molds by making sure they are perfectly clean and dry. Spray them lightly with cooking spray, then sprinkle them with colored sugar to coat. Or, line a 9 by 13 pan with a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the bottom and sides and overhang the edges to act as handles. Spray the wrap with cooking spray so it can be easily removed from the finished marshmallow. Sprinkle colored sugar over the surface.

Combine gelatin with 3/4 cup water in a small bowl and let dissolve. Be sure the gelatin dissolves entirely and does not turn spongy. If necessary, heat in the microwave or over a stove to keep it liquid while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1 cup of water in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue cooking without stirring until the mixture to come to a boil.

Continue cooking until mixture reaches 260°F, hard-ball stage. While the mixture is cooking, prepare egg whites. Place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar syrup reaches 245°F, begin whipping the egg whites on medium high speed until they form firm peaks. Do not overwhip.

When the sugar syrup has reached 260°F, remove from heat. Pour in the fully dissolved gelatin mixture into the saucepan and swirl to incorporate.

With the stand mixer running on low, pour the sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the egg whites; pour down the side of the bowl to avoid having hot syrup spatter out.

Once all the syrup is added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip for about 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture is very thick and glossy white.

Add vanilla extract and mix to incorporate.

Spoon the mixture into prepared molds and smooth off the tops with an offset spatula. Or, use a rubber spatula to scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top and let the pan sit for a couple hours at room temperature to let the marshmallow set.

After the marshmallows have set, unmold them and fit the halves together to form 3-D shapes. Roll them in more colored sugar to coat.

Or, if you've made a pan of marshmallow, combine the confectioners’ sugar and potato starch into a bowl. Sprinkle some of the mixture over a clean counter. Turn out the marshmallow onto the surface, and dust the surface and sides liberally with more of the mixture to prevent sticking. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the marshmallow into cubes. Run the knife under hot water and wipe clean between cuts to prevent sticking and to keep the cut edges neat.

Roll the marshmallows in the mixture to coat all over.

Easter Peep Jars

Easter Peep Jars

Ingredients for 1 Jar:

1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed
8 marshmallow peeps
1-1/2 cups Easter M&Ms
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 jar, lid
decorations

Directions:

Reduce 1 sleeve graham crackers (approx 1-1/3 c.)to crumbs and layer 2/3 of the crumbs in a 1 qt. jar. Place 8 marshmallow bunny peeps standing up, facing out around the inside of the jar pressing them against the glass, but don’t squash them. Carefully, spoon remaining crumbs in the center of the jar to support the bunnies, pressing down to keep it snug. On top of this pour 1-½ cups Easter M&M’s. Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of M&M’s gently pressing with a spoon. Decorate the lid of the jar however you please…tie curly ribbons around the neck of the jar.

Empty the jar contents into a bowl. Snip the bunnies into bits with kitchen sheers or cut up with a knife. Return the bunny bits to the mixture and mix well. Melt ½ cup butter, add 1 tsp vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients, mixing well. Pat into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

*Option: leave the bunnies whole; combine remaining ingredients and place the bunnies on top; then bake as directed

Bird Nest Cookies

Easter Nest Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups chow mein noodles
1 (7 oz) container marshmallow cream
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
jelly beans, M& M's, or other Easter candies for eggs

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles, marshmallow, peanut butter, coconut, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until easy to handle, at least 1 hour. On waxed paper, form 1/4 C. mixture into a nest shape about 2" to 3" wide. Repeat with remaining mixture to form 15 nests. Allow to dry at least 20 minutes until they are the consistency of Rice Krispies treats. Fill each nest with candies. Store nests ina plastic container with a lid. Put wax paper between layers of nests to prevent sticking.



No Bake Birds Nest Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 can crunchy Chinese noodles
1 bag of Robin's Eggs (malted candies)

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat. The best way to do that is to stir it every minute until it is smooth. Mix in the noodles and spoon into little "nests" onto wax paper. Press two or three robin's eggs into the center of the cookie. The Cadbury Mini-Eggs work really well, but you can substitute with jelly beans, yogurt covered raisins, Jordan almonds, etc. Refrigerate until hard.