Easter Birds Nest Cookies (2024)

These 4 ingredient haystack cookies are shaped like bird’s nests and filled with mini chocolate eggs. Birds nest cookies are a cute and delicious Easter treat!

Bird’s Nest Cookies

If you’re looking for a kid-friendly Easter treat that is also beautiful enough for a place on the party table, these Easter birds nest cookies are a fabulous option! And with only 4 ingredients, this recipe is a breeze to make!

This is an easy no-bake haystack cookie recipe. We used a blend of butterscotch chips and peanut butter for the base, mixed with crispy chow mein noodles. Then we shaped them to look like mini bird’s nests — the noodles look just like twigs that you’d find in a real bird’s nest!

And of course, we topped our birds nest cookies with candy covered chocolate eggs. The result is absolutely adorable!

But don’t be fooled… even though this is a cute treat that’s fun to look at, you’ll definitely want to eat them too! Because they are super delicious! The crispy noodles add a slightly salty touch that perfectly blends with the creamy butterscotch and peanut butter coating. This is a decadent dessert!

Related: Try our Cadbury Mini Egg Cheesecake Bars too!

Ingredients

I’ve included shop-able ad links for your convenience in re-creating this recipe;disclosure policy available here.

• Crispy Chow Mein Noodles
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Butterscotch Chips (you can also use milk chocolate chips)
• Mini Chocolate Easter Eggs (such as mini Cadbury eggs, Hershey eggs, M&M eggs, or similar candy eggs)

Kitchen Tools Used

• Medium Saucepan
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Muffin Pan
• Wooden Muddler

Prep Time: 15 Minutes |Cook Time: 10 Minutes |Total Time: 55 Minutes

Instructions

First, prep your muffin tin by coating with non-stick cooking spray.

1. Add butterscotch chips and peanut butter to a medium saucepan over low to medium heat. Stir until completely melted and smooth, adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching.
2. Place crispy chow mein noodles in a large bowl. Scoop the melted peanut butter and butterscotch mixture into the bowl and stir with a large spatula to coat all the noodles, to make your cookie “dough.”
3. Drop a large spoonful of the cookie mixture into each muffin tin cup. Gently press down in the middle of each cookie to form an indentation, like a bird’s nest.
4. Place the muffin pan in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, until the cookies have fully hardened. Remove the cookies from the muffin pan and place 3-4 Cadbury mini eggs in the center of each nest. You could also use jelly beans if you prefer.

(Printable directions are available at the bottom of the blog post)

Prep Tips

• Coat the muffin pan with non-stick spray before filling with cookie mixture. This will help the cookies pop out easier when they’re done.
• To remove the cookies from the muffin tins, gently run a butter knife around the outside of each cookie, to separate it from the pan. Then you can use the knife to pop the cookies out.
• A wooden co*cktail muddler (with rounded end) is a great tool for shaping the bird’s nests. You can also use you fingers, the back of a spoon, etc.
• Feel free to swap the chocolate candy eggs for large jelly beans, or your favorite Easter egg candy.
• Instead of butterscotch chips, you can use milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips — whichever flavor you prefer. We used butterscotch because they are delicious, but also the color is perfect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Haystack Cookies Need to be Refrigerated?

These bird’s nest cookies do not need to be kept in the refrigerator (though you can if you like). I recommend storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay good for about a week.

Be sure to keep the container away from any sources of heat or light, which could melt the chocolate eggs or butterscotch coating.

What Can You Use Instead of Chow Mein Noodles?

We used crispy chow mein noodles for this recipe because they so closely resemble sticks or twigs that birds use to build their nests. However, you can still create a bird’s nest shape with other materials, if needed.

Traditional crispy chow mein noodles are made with wheat flour. If you’re looking for a gluten free alternative, or if you’re hoping to use something else that’s already in your pantry, here are a few suggestions:

• Gluten Free Chow Mein Noodles — These will be closest in shape and texture to the original recipe. They may be available in the diet section of your grocery store or you can order online if you plan ahead.
• Puffed Rice Cereal — Rice Krispies or similar cereals are a common ingredient in old fashioned haystack cookies.
• Slivered Almonds — If you’re looking to go grain free, slivered almonds could work too. They may be more expensive than chow mein noodles (if making a large batch like our original recipe) and they will be a little crunchier in texture.
• Shredded Coconut, Corn Flakes, etc. are all other options that could work.

Keep in mind that if using a substitute, your bird’s nests may look a bit different than what is pictured here. But they should still be cute and tasty!

More of our Most Popular Easter Recipes

• Easter Cookie Cake
• Nutter Butter Chicks
• Carrot Cake Cookies
• Carrot Shaped Mini Carrot Cakes
• Bunny Bark
• Easter Charcuterie Board
• Easter Deviled Eggs

Birds Nest Cookie Recipe (Printable Copy)

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Cadbury Egg Cookies