I know, I know, Easter was last weekend and I missed it with these Easter nests. But it’s a season for springtime festivals after the darkness and hibernation of the winter months, so perhaps I’m not too late after all. My children certainly don’t seem to mind that we made Easter goodies after the event! Time is more flexible when you’re as young as they are, I guess.
So yes, the Easter bunny hopped by our house earlier today and caught us in the act of creating sticky, gooey nests for the chocolate eggs he laid on Sunday.
Funnily enough, it seems that people did once believe that bunnies were laying eggs at this time of the year. The story goes that they would mistakenly connect their lucky discoveries of clutches of eggs hidden among the hedgerows with the mad March hares they saw bouncing around in the fields. In reality, the hidden treasure had actually been laid by the unconfined hens of those days as they roamed freely in the meadows. It’s a shame such child-like logic had to be disillusioned, in some ways – I rather like the picture of frantically fertile bunnies stopping every now and then in their frenzied hopping to deposit a few eggs in unexpected places.
Although we were too late for Easter, I’m hoping that we’ll still be in time to offer our nests to Julia of A Slice of Cherry Pie for her Easter Cake Bake 2009. I’m a little hazy about days and dates right now (a side-effect of school holidays, I find), but I’m pretty sure we haven’t yet had the 20th April!
Easter White Chocolate Nests
10 oz rolled oats
4 oz Rice Krispies
4 oz milk chocolate chips
8 oz unsalted butter
7 oz golden syrup
6 oz white chocolate
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
60 mini chocolate eggs
Makes 30 nests.
Mix together the oats, Rice Krispies and chocolate chips in a large bowl.
Melt the butter, golden syrup and white chocolate together in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the fleur de sel, then pour the mixture over the dry ingredients in the big bowl.
Get several children to take turns stirring with a big wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients are moistened (it’s okay to do it yourself if you can’t find any little people to help, but it won’t taste as good).
Use an ice-cream scoop to dollop the sticky mess into paper cupcake liners. Press a couple of mini eggs into the top of each nest.
Leave to set if you can resist them for long enough.
amerrierworld.com 
arfi
/ April 15, 2009Awwwwwww… my children would love those! Although we don’t celebrate Easter, our neighbours have been really great to us. They sent us two boxes of chocolate Easter eggs. What a treat!
Jeannette
/ April 16, 2009I can imagine your little ones being very, very pleased with these, Kate! Any left? I reckon there would be ten each, that’s if they were not being shared with friends. Our house was amok with chocolate eggs over the weekend as the Devon gang were up here, but they’ve taken them back with them now with strict instructions to ration themselves to a little a day, you never know they might just last out till May when I come down to meet up with you. Looking forward to then!
Dad
/ April 16, 2009Which came first, Easter or the eggs?
I had the obligatory “Cream Egg” before going to Brands on Monday.
Unfortunately it wouldn’t be as tasty as your white variety.
Thanks for the card and the greetings.
Dad.
Lucy
/ April 16, 2009Sorry I couldn’t stretch to doing any home-made baking for you Dad: I was too busy getting the house ready, planning menus for dinners and travel to the racing to get it done…although baking had been planned, just not achieved!
Here today, goo tomorrow…
Luvnhugs, Lucy xx
PS Thanks for the card, Coldricks!
amerrierworld
/ April 17, 2009Hi Arfi – what lovely neighbours you have! Your children must have been very pleased.
Well, Jeannette … there might have been 10 each if T hadn’t pinched the chocolate eggs from the top of several (and if I hadn’t munched a few too, of course)!
I’m pleased you got our cards, Dad and Lucy – sorry they were (like these nests) a bit late!