Chocolate Coconut Nests for Easter (slight repeat from 2013!)

Ruthy here! I am repeating this wonderful, simple, marvelous Easter treat from three years ago because this has always been a family favorite and it's such an easy (and impressive) treat to take to parties or to use in baskets. You can use this candy as a "mound" without the jelly beans (like a drop cookie, with no baking!) but our favorite is to use the tiny jelly beans (not the weird flavored ones, okay?) to make the "bird" nest effect. 

Life has been crazy here the past two weeks, so much illness that we had to cancel my husband's retirement/birthday party for a couple of weeks. I've heard from folks across the country that many are feeling the same kind of push, so there's been little new cooking going on... but that's okay because this little trick is awesome and so much less expensive than buying the nests in stores. (I love the Russell Stover nests but I loved reproducing them, too!)

Easy-peasy, I'm tellin' youse.

Here's all you need: (I use the Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips or the Hershey's Milk Chocolate chips. Dark chocolate works, too, it's just a matter of taste...)

I keep toasted coconut in the freezer all the time. It's so simple, just lay a bag of coconut on a cookie sheet, spread it out, and toast in a 275° for about 20 minutes, give or take. I stir it around every five minutes or so. Remove from oven when most of the coconut has turned golden brown and is crisped up.

So for this easy peasy Easter treat:

Melt 2 bags of milk or dark chocolate chips over low heat. I use this method which helps prevent graying... some folks use the microwave. Whatever works for you!  Hershey's milk chocolate chips melt wonderfully with very little chance of graying as long as you melt them s-l-o-w-l-y. Which means you can get other stuff done...

Oh, RANDOM!!!! They're playing Mandisa's "Good Morning!" on K-Love right now and I used that as Lisa's favorite song in "The Lawman's Second Chance"...

 it's such a great song and I love the Toby Mac interlude!  Here's a link if you don't know what I'm talking about:  Mandisa's "Good Morning!"   But then come back here, okay???

I love this vintage Pyrex bowl. It brings back lots of memories of my mother and grandmother, and my older sister, cooking up wonderful things in these bowls! 

Put the first bag of chips in the bowl over a pot of very warm water. When they get soft, toss in the other bag and stir... stir again in a few minutes.... Once they've all "smoothed" (melted) add in about 2 cups of toasted coconut.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto foil covered cookie sheet. Dip spoon in center to make nest "divet" or hollow. Mary Ruth likes helping Grammy!  :)  (Shamelessly exploiting small children for kitchen labor and to sell sweet books... And I'm okay with all of that, LOL!)

Now we add the bird eggs, aka: Jelly beans. I use smaller ones like they do at Russell Stover because they're SO STINKIN' CUTE!

Put in cool place (not like "hip" cool, or "chic" cool but temperature cool...) to firm up. No refrigeration needed.

Ah, help has arrived! They love the placing little "eggs" part the best!

And this is what they do at Russell Stovers:

You can buy one of these for $.99

We just made 23 of them in about ten minutes time (minus when I toasted the coconut and put it in a double zip-loc freezer bag...)  

For about $5.... Okay, maybe $6.  I buy chocolate chips at Sam's or when they're on sale and this week you can get two bags for $4.... so then $2 for the coconut and handful of jellybeans.

Pretty sweet deal, right?

If you have colored plastic wrap, it's cute to wrap them in it and put a smidge of tape on bottom.

And that's it.

Except....

Here's the bane to my diet:

Right here, in person:

SIGH.....

A FIVE POUND BAG OF STARBURST JELLY BEANS!!! MAYOR BLOOMBERG, DON'T TOUCH MY MEGA-HUMONGOUS-GINORMOUS BAG OF CANDY, PUH-LEASE!!!!

:)

Oh, I'm laughing because when I originally wrote this post, I think Mayor Bloomberg had just outlawed large drinks. Obviously I felt compelled to take a shot at him!

Holy Week is my favorite week of the year. Easter is still such a beautifully sacred holy day around here, and our 40 days of Lent are focused on remembering what's been done in our name... and being grateful for the amazing life we've been given.

Even with a few naughty kids, now and then!

So this week is filled with lovely services, quiet time, prayerful moments, and then the wonderful family celebration of the risen Lord on Sunday.

God is good, all the time...

And we are so blessed to be in a land where freedom of religion is a right... not a privilege.

God bless America, and happy Easter!