Friday 22 April 2011

Chocolate Easter nests

The only time of the year I can get my kids to eat all bran is at Easter – no you didn’t misread!! Most children seem to follow the universal law that if you cover it in chocolate they will eat it! I’m the kind of person that likes to take full advantage of this anomaly – all for the greater good you understand.
These little nests are a great chance to get kids eating some healthy stuff that they might not usually go for. I made these for my nieces and nephews last Easter and some family members gazed on in disbelief that I had managed to sneak some of the good stuff into the festive celebrations!

The nests are so easy that they don’t really qualify for recipe status. They are really a version of their plainer sugar laden cousin, the rice crispy bun.

You can really mix and match this as you go along.
The basics are:
 150g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa)
All bran cereal (sugar free if possible)
A mixture of dried fruit and nuts, i.e. raisins, sultanas, apricots, dates, figs, cranberries, walnuts, pecans, Brazils, cashew nuts, desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

Break up the chocolate and melt in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Once it is melted throw in handfuls of chopped fruit and nuts and all bran until coated well in the chocolate.
You can add as much or as little as you like but it’s nice to get a good balance between chocolate and other ingredients. This year I went for sultanas, cranberries, and pecan nuts.
Line 6 small bowls with tin foil and spoon the mixture into the bottom of the bowls making sure it is evenly spread on the bottom (this helps the nest to stay intact), push the excess up the sides of the bowl to form the nest shapes. Chill for a few hours until set. Remove from the tinfoil and pop in a few mini chocolate eggs. (If I could have got away with mini clementines in there instead, oh believe me I would have!)

4 comments:

  1. i Lynn,
    just found your site, it's great, have put it in my faves, love veggie recipe sites. Can I put your site on my links? Good luck.

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  2. Hi Bridget, how things! Be delighted to be linked up - have you a site yourself? You doing much baking these days?

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  3. Will link you up then! Still baking but not for weekly market, got tired of that after 5 years. Doing monthly market in Carrick-on-Shannon and once off things. My site is www.arignagardener.wordpress.com

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  4. Your site is great Bridget, looks like you have your own little piece of Shrangrila at Prospect cottage! Happy growing.

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