Coconut Macaroon Easter Nests

 

One of the things that I always associate with Easter is making Easter nests. This isn't something I particularly remember doing as a child at home, but it is something I remember always doing at Guides or with our Beavers. The traditional recipe usually involves some form of cereal (shredded wheat was always our choice) and lots of chocolate. This year I decided to make use of some of the egg whites leftover from our adventures into homemade ice cream to make some coconut macaroons, which function well in their own way as Easter nests. 

I have to be honest and say that this isn't quite how I was planning for them to turn out. When I looked online, recipes seemed to give a result that was slightly more dense and easier to form into a nest shape. I think this comes down to the fact that I treated mine as though I was making meringues and whisked the egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks instead of just whisking until frothy. Despite this, I would say that I do actually prefer my method as the nests turned out light and crispy, with a deliciously chewy middle, and with a bit more of a subtle taste of coconut than the alternative versions. The only downside is that it feels like you are ruining the macaroons by making an indent to fill with chocolate and mini eggs! But it's worth it to have the fun of the chocolate eggs in the middle of the macaroon. 

To vary things up, you could use half the macaroons as nests and have the other half as dipped in chocolate.

Recipe - Makes 12

• 2 egg whites
• 120g caster sugar
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 50g dark chocolate
• Mini eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C. Whisk the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff. Add the caster sugar 1 spoon at a time, whisking until it forms a smooth and glossy meringue with stiff peaks. Fold in the coconut and cornflour. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined baking tray and make an indent in the centre (using a wet spoon can help with this). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pan of water. Spoon into the centre of the macaroon nests (pushing the centre of the macaroon gently to deepen the indent if needed). Top with 3 mini eggs. Repeat with the remainder of the chocolate.