Easter Egg Macaroon Nests

Coconut Macaroons are one of my favorite springtime treats. Growing up, we always had them in our household at Easter/Passover, and now, at this time of the year, I make sure to make a few batches myself. Usually, I make a very traditional (and very delicious!) version, but this time, I decided to make something a little more festive – Coconut Macaroon “Nests” with Mini-Eggs inside!

While it was admittedly the cuteness factor that drew me to these initially, the flavor is wonderful, too. The macaroons are sweet and perfectly-textured, and the mini-eggs add a lovely chocolately crunch to each bite. Plus, I love that they are bite-sized. After a big Easter meal, I’m often too full for a ton of dessert, so smaller, lighter sweets are always appreciated. While I made these with Easter in mind, they would also particularly charming for a baby shower or Spring-themed party. And awesomely, they are super quick + simple to make, taking less than 30 minutes total to prep, bake, + decorate. I love a dessert that doesn’t take hours to make, especially on a busy holiday weekend!

Easter Egg Coconut Macaroon Nests

makes 12 mini nests, adapted from The Faux Martha

Ingredients

1 large egg white
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
36 mini chocolate eggs (such as Cadbury Mini-Eggs)
optional: Nutella or melted chocolate to “glue” the eggs in the nest (*see note in recipe)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a mini-muffin pan. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine egg white, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Add in coconut until evenly moistened.
Add about a tablespoon of the mixture into each of the tins. Press coconut mixture on the bottom and up against the sides of the mini muffin cup to create a nest, making sure the coconut reaches to the top. The middle should be hollow to create the nest shape.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the macaroons are golden brown on the edges.

Remove nests from oven and allow them to cool fully in the mini-muffin tin. Carefully remove each nest by running a thin knife around the outside of each nest, separating it from the edge. Macaroons may not all come out perfectly + may have some uneven edges, but this just adds to its nest-like quality. =)

Put 2-3 mini eggs in each nest. *I just placed my mini eggs in there as is (so they could be easily removed if our guests didn’t want to eat them), but you can certainly add a thin layer of melted chocolate or nutella if you want to “glue” them in.

Serve at room temperature.

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