Do you like festive baking and cooking? Does it make you excited to create something that “goes” with the season? I can get into it sometimes, but usually I like to use what is in season, not make something that goes with tradition. But my daughter Zoey is just the opposite. She likes to make things that look cute, or have something to do with a nearby holiday. Because she loves this, I am getting more into it, she is teaching me and I like it!
This week she is supposed to bring a dozen of her favorite cookies to a cookie class she is taking at our homeschool group. I asked her what she wanted to make and instantly she started thinking about what we could make that would look cute and go with the Easter season, nothing to do with what she liked the taste of (which is I’m sure what her teacher is thinking.) We looked through a lot of cookie cookbooks and through blogs that I follow and she settled (with some gentle guidance from me) on an adaptation of these cute Dark Chocolate No Bake Cookies from my friend Annalise’s Blog. They are cute no bake cookies (which Zoey loves) and we topped them with jelly beans, another of her favorites, but I would prefer chocolate eggs myself! I made them using coconut oil, cut back on the sugar, and used unsweetened coconut, but her original recipe is great too.
These cookies are fun to make with kids. They are stored in the refrigerator so they keep well. You could make them earlier in the week and have a fun festive treat for Sunday, without the stress of last minute baking. What do you like to make for Easter? Do you get into festive cooking? Whatever your preference, I hope you are surrounded with True Love that comes only from what happened on Easter over 2000 years ago.
No Bake Bird Nest Cookies
Adapted from Sweetannas.com
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- Egg shaped candies for decorating (optional)
In a large sauce pan melt the coconut oil and mix in the cocoa powder, sugar, salt and milk.
Bring to a boil and stir while boiling for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until the peanut butter is completely incorporated into the batter.
Stir in the rolled oats and coconut until well combined.
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper and scoop the cookies, in 1 tablespoon sized balls onto the sheet. Press the candies into the cookies to form the nests. Refrigerate for a few hours or until the cookies firm up. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (if you don’t eat them all first!)
Happy Easter!
The kitchen is where I express myself. It is where I go when I need to process or escape. Cooking is my creative outlet and my stress reliever. When I am in my kitchen, my ingredients listen to me, they do what I want, and I can produce something that is satisfying, tasty, and healthy without it whining or talking back to me! Join me as I journey through life in my kitchen. 
This was great with 1/2 cup of honey too. I am making it again and adding a tad more honey to entice the last kid hold-out:)
Thanks for the tip, I haven’t tried it with honey, sounds yummy!