Easter Chocolate Macaroon Nests
jump toRECIPE
I absolutely love the small colorful candy coated Cadbury eggs that come out around Easter – I told myself that this year I would be good and I wouldn’t buy any. I was at Target the other day and one thing turned into another and the next thing I knew I was adding a few bags of those delicious eggs into my cart. When I returned home, rather than popping them one after another into my mouth I decided to write a recipe with an Easter theme. I use my thumb to create an imprint in a classic coconut macaroon to create a nest filled with milk chocolate eggs. Pro tip, pick up a few bags to enjoy after Easter when they are discounted.
Easter Chocolate Macaroon Nests
Table of contents
What are Macaroons?
Macaroons not to be confused with the French sweets, macarons, are made from a combination of egg whites, sugar and coconut. French macarons are made from almond flour. A whipped meringue base is combined with shredded sweetened coconut and baked until they are crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I dip them in chocolate and top them with mini Cadbury eggs for an addicting Easter treat.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Granulated sugar – The egg whites are beaten with granulated sugar to create a meringue base.
- Egg whites – Meringue only uses the egg whites – not the yolks so I recommend saving the yolks to make a creamy custard like this creme brûlée recipe. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using them.
- Shredded coconut – Sweetened shredded coconut looks like small ribbons and has added sugar which also adds moisture. It makes for the best coconut macaroons!
- Chocolate – I like dipping the nests in melted semi-sweet chocolate but if you prefer you can also use dark chocolate.
- Cadbury eggs – These seasonal chocolates are made with milk chocolate coated in a crisp colorful candy coating.
How to Make Easter Chocolate Macaroon Nests
Step 1: Make meringue.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy with stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
Step 2: Add coconut.
Use a wooden spoon to stir in the coconut until evenly combined.
Step 3: Shape coconut macaroons.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use wet hands to shape 1½-inch balls of the coconut mixture, placing them about 2-inches apart. Use your thumb to press into the center of the balls to form a well, so they look like little nests.
Step 4: Bake macaroons.
Bake until the macaroons are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Step 5: Melt chocolate.
Melt the chocolate using the double boiler method. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat and set a heat proof metal bowl over the top. Add the chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth, about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Dip in chocolate.
Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the chocolate, letting any excess chocolate drip off, and place them back on the parchment paper to harden. Repeat with the remaining macaroons.
Step 7: Let cool and serve.
Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, fill the top of the nests with the chocolate eggs and serve.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
How to Make Regular Coconut Macaroons
Rather than using your thumb to create imprints in the coconut mixture to shape the nests, skip this step then dip in chocolate after baking as directed and omit the chocolate eggs.
Swaps and substitutions
- If you can’t find mini Cadbury eggs try using one large creme filled eggs for each nest.
- The nests can also be drizzled with the milk chocolate to create zebra stripes over the top.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this macaroon nests recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
Easter Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Nests
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 (10-ounce) bag milk chocolate Mini Cadbury eggs
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy with stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the coconut until evenly combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use wet hands to shape 1½-inch balls of the coconut mixture, placing them about 2-inches apart. Use your thumb to press into the center of the balls to form a well, so they look like little nests.
- Bake until the macaroons are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate using the double boiler method. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat and set a heatproof metal bowl over the top. Add the chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the chocolate, letting any excess chocolate drip off, and place them back on the parchment paper to harden. Repeat with the remaining macaroons.
- Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, fill the top of the nests with the chocolate eggs and serve.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings
)
)
)
Rate + Review
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS RECIPE?