Chocolate Easter Nests
on Apr 12, 2022, Updated May 21, 2024
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These Chocolate Easter Nests 🪺 are the cutest little treat for your Easter celebration. I am a huge lover of sweet and salty and this easy crunchy dessert hits the spot. These nests are a great activity for the kids for 🌷 spring and will look adorable as part of your table setting. The chocolate and nut butter combination is delicious and complements the saltiness and the crunch of the pretzels perfectly. I serve these on a bed of decorative 🌿 arugula, to make these nests look even more festive for Spring.
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Easter Nests
These Chocolate Easter Nests 🪺 are the cutest little dessert to bring to the Easter table. They’re simple to prep, and everything comes together in just a few minutes on a ♨️ stovetop double-boiler or in the microwave. Since these set up in the 🧊 freezer, you can absolutely make them a few days ahead of time and pull them out the morning of your celebration. The sweet/salty combination is EVERYTHING and the crunch is perfection.
How to Prepare Chocolate Easter Nests
🥨 Start by breaking each pretzel stick into 2-3 pieces.
💧 Now, create a double-boiler: fill a medium pot with 2 cups water and then bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pot (be sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the simmering water.)
🍫 Add the chocolate chips, nut/seed butter, and coconut oil to the bowl.
🌀 Stir constantly with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted. Turn off the heat.
🥣 Add the pretzel pieces to the melted chocolate mixture and mix to coat them fully.
🥄 Using an ice cream scooper or 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the chocolate-covered pretzels onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
🧊 Freeze the chocolate pretzel nests for about 30 minutes, or until solid.
🪺 Remove from the freezer and top them off with a few mini eggs and sprinkle with some hemp hearts to replicate “bird seeds”.
🌿 Add baby arugula on a plate and place the bird nests on top.
Nonna’s Tip ♨️
You can also melt everything together in the microwave. To prevent the chocolate from seizing, be sure to stop the microwave and stir the mixture every 20-30 seconds, careful not to overheat.
Variations and Substitutions for Chocolate Easter Nests
- Nut or seed butter is amazing in here so feel free to use any you like such as 🥜 peanut, almond, sunflower, etc.
- To make this recipe gluten-free you can purchase 🥨 gluten-free pretzels instead.
- You can use either 🍫 semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. If you prefer a sweeter treat, go for semi-sweet; for a richer, less sweet option, use dark chocolate.
- Add other mix-ins like chopped nuts, dried fruit, or shredded 🥥 coconut to the chocolate mixture for added texture and flavor.
- If you make these with other substitutes or white chocolate, let me know how it works in the comments below.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- A spread of any of my beautiful Easter desserts such as my Cadbury Chocolate Chip Cookies or Sweet Easter Bread.
- A fresh fruit platter and coffee or a cold glass of milk for the kids.
Common Questions
You can use either semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. If you prefer a sweeter treat, go for semi-sweet; for a richer, less sweet option, use dark chocolate.
No, the coconut oil is not essential, but it does help to make the mixture nice and smooth.
I think you could make these up to a week in advance, and keep in the freezer. Assemble with the mini eggs the day you are serving. If you want to prep these fully, you could make them start to finish up to 1 day in advance and store them in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t soften or melt at room temperature.
For these Chocolate Easter Nests, I prefer to break up pretzel sticks because they replicate the look of real sticks perfectly! If you’re using the classic pretzel shape, you may have to shape them a bit when placing on the baking sheet. But don’t overthink it, really anything goes!
You can use any small candy-coated chocolates, such as M&M’s, or even jelly beans for a different look and taste.
No, the hemp hearts are for presentation and to mimic “bird seeds.” You can skip them or use another small seed like chia or flax seeds.
Yes, you can add other mix-ins like chopped nuts, dried fruit, or shredded coconut to the chocolate mixture for added texture and flavor.
Yes, use dairy-free chocolate chips and ensure your nut or seed butter is vegan. Check that any additional toppings, like candy-coated chocolates, are also vegan-friendly or plant-based.
Chocolate Easter Nests
Ingredients
- 2 cups pretzel pieces, ideally pretzel sticks
- 1 cup semi-sweet , or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup almond butter, any nut or seed butter will work
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil , optional
- Cadbury mini-eggs for presentation
- Hemp hearts for presentation
- Baby arugula for presentation
Instructions
- Break each pretzel piece into 2-3 pieces.
- Create a double-boiler by filling a medium pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pot (be sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the simmering water.)
- Add the chocolate chips, nut or seed butter, and coconut oil to the bowl. The coconut oil is not essential, but it helps make the mixture nice and smooth. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Turn off the heat.
- Add the pretzel pieces to the melted chocolate mixture and mix to coat them fully. Using an ice cream scooper or 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the chocolate-covered pretzels onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze the chocolate pretzel nests for about 30 minutes, or until solid. Remove from the freezer and top them off with a few mini eggs and sprinkle with some hemp hearts which replicate “bird seeds”.
- Add baby arugula on a plate and top with the the bird nests. If you make these 1 day in advance, store them in the fridge as the chocolate will soften at room temperature or melt. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
