Birds Nest Cookies

These no-bake birds nest cookies are the perfect dessert for springtime. With chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch—these cookies are truly decadent. Kids will love making a batch for Easter!

Over the past week, spring has slowly begun to emerge here in Michigan. I woke up at 5:30 am (I know, I'm an early riser) to hear birds chirping outside. It's funny the things you don't realize you've missed over winter! Since then I've seen buds slowly appearing on our trees. I even saw a robin hopping across our front lawn.

It should also be noted that it snowed overnight this past weekend. So as excited as I might be for warm weather, mother nature reminded me that it's still April. But still… onto more talk about SPRINGTIME!

I love the flavors that remind me of spring — delicate and light scents such as lemon, blueberry, and lavender. Spring also means Easter and (more importantly, some might argue) Easter CANDY! Do you have a favorite Easter candy? Mine are the miniature Cadbury chocolate eggs. I've loved them for as long as I can remember. The crisp outer candy shell and rich milk chocolate center… swoon. Inspired by my love of this candy, I came up with a dessert that features these miniature eggs.

A couple of years ago, a good friend of mine — Sarah, you're the best — gave me a fantastic recipe for no-bake cookies called butterscotch haystacks. I've made the recipe a handful of times since then, and I love it because it's delicious and incredibly simple! When I was looking for inspiration for a birds nest, I knew these cookies would be perfect.

Let's Make Birds Nest Cookies

To make these cookies, you melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter together and stir until smooth. Next, you add some chow mein noodles and gently stir to coat the noodles. To make birds nest cookies, you drop rounded spoonfuls onto a waxed paper or a Silpat baking sheet. You might need to adjust the noodles to make your clump look a little more "nest-like," but that's easy to do. One word of caution, this recipe gets a little messy! Nothing wrong with that, but something to be aware of if you're doing this with little kiddos.

How do I Melt Butterscotch Chips?

Although you could melt your butterscotch chips using a double boiler, I find it easier to use the microwave. Microwave your chips and peanut butter in 15-second increments in the microwave, and you'll ensure that you don't scorch the mixture. Take it out when you still see some lumps and give it a good stir. You'll find yourself with a perfectly creamy mixture ready for your chow mein noodles.

What is a Silpat Baking Sheet?

Silpat is a French company that makes silicone baking mats. The story goes that a French baker was looking for a non-stick surface to make his baguettes and came up with the design. The company started selling in the US in 1993, and that's when the entire silicone baking mat trend took off. You can always find generic silicone mats on Amazon for any size baking tray you own. I really like them because they turn any pan into an easily cleaned, non-stick surface.

Heather's Helpful Hints

• I used Cadbury Mini Easter Eggs for this recipe. However, you can use whatever egg-shaped candy you would like. Even little jelly beans could be fun in this recipe. Use whatever you like or have on hand! 
• Make sure you work relatively quickly with the mixture once it's warm. When things cool down, it's harder to form the little nests.
• For a fun twist, you can add some chopped peanuts into the mixture. I've done this in the past, and it's a great way to boost the nutty flavor!

Did You Make Our Birds Nest Cookies?

Did you make this recipe? First, let me say THANK YOU for giving it a try! Please leave us a rating above and leave any feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I always love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what went well — and what didn’t — with a recipe! Be sure to check out some of our similar recipes linked below!