Easter Bird's Nests

Disclaimer: My camera battery died, I don't know where my charger is and so I had to use my old camera. The pictures all have a funky coloring to them. Hopefully I can find my charger soon so I don't have crappy pictures for long. I am sorry for the lack of quality pictures

I know when you think Easter, you may not think birds nest. But I do. I have very fond memories of making these treats with my mom for all my friends at Easter. I took them to the Easter school party, and Easter sunday school party, and gave my friends Easter treat bags with them in it. Every holiday the teachers at The Bee try and give their students something. I find it very hard to get my kids something, they are 6 weeks to 9 months. They don't eat candy, they can't play with the toys that are at the dollar store, and the toys they can play with are expensive, and really expensive times seven. So I wasn't going to get them anything for Easter, even though the kids in the older infant room have really cool Easter baskets coming their way, I just couldn't afford it. Then I got to thinking about this recipe, and the memories I have of making it, I decided I would make them, and share the recipe with their parents, and maybe give them the gift of memories with their parents and siblings when they get older. Mom and dad get to eat the treat and the extra jelly beans I tossed in. :-D

NOTE: I doubled the recipe

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:



3 cup rice krispe cereal

1 cup shredded coconut ( I am not a big fan of coconut, I just used 1.5 cups)

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Jellybeans

Directions:

Mix cereal and coconut in a large bowl
cereal and coconut


Bring corn syrup, b. sugar, peanut butter and vanilla to a boil.



Remove from heat and mix into cereal.



When cool enough to touch, make balls of the mixture and form into nests.



When completely cool add jelly beans



It made 20 nests...1 fell apart, 1 my brother ate, 7 were bagged for the kids, and 11 are for the teachers at The Bee.

I have to say that the second the heat started working on the mixture, I was tossed back into my kitchen in Georgia, sitting on the counter, helping mom. I even know where exactly I sat. Amazing how smells do that. Sigh, to be little and carefree again........anyway....

I think doubling it in one batch was a bad idea, it was too much to work with and I had a hard time getting the later ones to form and not fall apart because they were cooling off too much, but a quick trip in the microwave fixed that. Mom helped me, her nests were more balls with a little dent, I was going for more of an actual nest. There was debate, no winner decided. I like mine cuz they would hold more jelly beans Mom said something along the lines of birds only poop out about 3 eggs so her smaller ones were fine. Haha.

I wrote the recipe on pretty little cards, and tied it to the bag and wrote them a little note about how I hope they can use this recipe to make memories with their families. :-D I love my kidders. I love my momma <3 (and daddy too)



Side note: The Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans were AMAZING... I will be stocking up on a few bags, the SweetTart ones were so-so, I will stick to the SweetTart ducks bunnies and chicks, and the Reese's Pieces eggs are of course wonderful. :-D