Chocolate Birds Nests

These mini desserts are so cute and a welcome addition to Spring and Easter parties. I’ve made them for years for the holiday, but also for a Nesting-themed baby shower where I serve some on the dessert table, and wrapped up others for a take home favor.

Chocolate birds nests are super easy to make, and the combination of sweet and crunchy is a marriage made in heaven. The hardest part is trying to keep from eating them before you serve them!

Ingredient Notes

Chocolate. Use sweetened chocolate chips or chocolate bark (chopped into pieces). You want the balance of sweet and salty so it’s best not to use semi-sweet or unsweetened chips. I make mine with dark chocolate because it’s my favorite, but you can use milk chocolate or white chocolate if you like.

Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles. Find these in a can in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store. I like using these because they have curves rather than being straight. That adds to the natural look of twigs that you’d find in a real birds nest.

Shredded Wheat Cereal Squares. This is another secret to adding the effect of a real nest. Roughly break apart the squares so you get fine layers that add flavor and texture to the crunchy noodles.

Candy Eggs. You can choose from a variety of eggs to fill your nests with, including Jelly Beans, candy-coated chocolate eggs, mini Cadbury Eggs, malted eggs, or Jordan almonds are all good choices. And the eggs you choose can reflect the taste of the recipients. For instance, the jelly beans might appeal more to children while the Jordan almonds would appeal to adults.

How To Make It

Here are the tips for success. See the full instructions in the recipe card at bottom.

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Simply fill a small pot with about ½-inch of water and place a mixing bowl on top, filled with the chocolate. Heat on the stove at low heat and let the chocolate melt while stirring occasionally.

Alternatively you can melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Stop to stir every 30 seconds until it’s fully melted.

When breaking the wheat cereal apart, you don’t want to shred it completely to crumbs. Just break it enough so the layers separate and you have a fine texture.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients, rather than stirring. This helps maintain the shape of the crunchy noodles.

The best way to make these look like nests and not like blobs is to use a muffin pan so you can shape each one with a little dip in the center for the eggs to sit in – just like a real nest.

You’ll need to spray the tins with non-stick spray or place paper cups inside so the nests are easy to pop out.

Serving Ideas

These are a sweet treat that grown ups will love just as much as the children will. Place them on a cake pedestal and accent them with fresh bay leaves like I’ve done here, or follow these festive display ideas.

Easter or Spring Dessert Board

These are the perfect size to add to a dessert board, especially for Easter.

Surround them with more themed or seasonal candies and treats..

Mini Bird Cages

Chocolate birds nests lend themselves well to some cute presentation options for children’s parties. For instance, I placed them in mini bird cages and hung them from above for a kids garden party.

Place a piece of coordinating paper or parchment paper underneath the nest to keep them food safe.

Party Favors

I’ve also wrapped them up in clear cellophane bags to give as party favors for a Little Birdies baby shower. Put them on guest plates on your table setting, or corral them in a basket for guests to take.

Print these free gift tags and tie them on.

More Spring Desserts

Now that you have chocolate birds nests ready, here are some more dessert recipes for spring entertaining.

Everyone loves these glazed lemon bars with shortbread crust. They’re a crowd pleaser and perfect for gatherings. Another favorite is lemon cream tartlets; they’re bite-size perfection.

Other fruit forward treats include angle cake strawberry shortcakes in jars, and cheesecake stuffed strawberries. And if you love fresh berries you’ll love these blueberry mini pavlovas.