Peanut Butter Bird's Nest Cookies
Reminder: The deadline for the Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #1 - Cookies is coming up fast! Tomorrow, April 28th at Noon PST (3:00PM EST) we will stop accepting entries. Get your winning submission in now!
Speaking of the contest, here is my contribution to Peanut Butter Exhibition #1. These are one of my fondest memories as a child. My mother usually only made these treats for Easter, but I was feeling Spring-y with my yellow shirt and the gorgeous weather we've been having so I decided to whip up a batch - partially for me, but also for you folks. I haven't had these in years and they really bring back memories. They are really easy to make and they smell incredible while doing so.
Are these cookies? The original title is "Bird's Nest Cookies" but I'm not sure...I suppose they're closer to rice krispie treats than anything else. Then again, I don't really care because I can't win the contest anyways =).
I should warn you, while I consider every recipe on my site to be "healthy", these are not! Or at least they're the most unhealthy recipe you'll find here, but they're actually not too bad either. However, I didn't notice until a few people pointed it out, but these cookies are not only vegan, they are also gluten-free and dairy-free, so eat away my foodies! I did up the nutrition value slightly by using brown-rice cereal, reduced-fat coconut (only because it was on sale and cheaper than regular) and organic corn syrup.
So it appears that I too am a:
Ingredients:
3 cups crispy brown-rice cereal (Whole Foods bulk item)
1 cup reduced-fat shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/3 cup organic light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1t vanilla
Instructions:
1. Combine cereal and coconut in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining ingredients (corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla) to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into the bowl and stir until well mixed.
2. Let mixture cool until it is handle-able, but the hotter it is the easier it will be to work with. Grab a small handful and squeeze and shape into a bird's nest. Place 3-4 vibrant jelly beans in the center. Let cool completely and store in tupperware.
Additional Info:
I made these with my girlfriend and due to a combination of my large hands and excessive batter-eating, we only made 12 nests. Regardless, these are a perfect way to get your peanut butter and sugar fix - in convenient nest form. I'm sure you could also press the mixture into a dish and cut into bars, but where's the fun?
Labels: dessert, peanut butter
| Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink
- Buy me a Jar of Peanut Butter to further my research!
All Recipes 
Less Categories 
More Categories 
peanut butter + coconut = so not a Hollywood marriage. it's built to last, yum!
Posted by
Celine |
1:49 AM
YUM YUM!!!
Posted by
Kath |
3:30 AM
Lovely photo, but I have to look away now because my teeth are screaming, aahhh!
They'd be great to take on a hike no? I can imagine biting into one of them on top of a Dorset hill, looking out to sea. No hang on, my teeth hurt.
x x x
Posted by
Naomi Devlin |
5:41 AM
Those look great! I think I'd have to put m&m "eggs" in them...
yum!
Posted by
Elle |
6:06 AM
They look so cute and yummy I could eat 10 right now, but I am on a diet (?) hehe. Great recipe.
Posted by
Ben |
6:44 AM
These look fabulous. I'd have to substitute cashew butter, I think - it would go better with the coconut than almond butter, which I would usually use here. They're such a creative idea!
Posted by
Fearless Kitchen |
8:33 AM
Like the idea of the brown cereal and the use of candy as a topping. What a sweet treat.
Posted by
daphne |
8:41 AM
sweet, these are vegan too. Can't wait to make them.
THANKS!!!
Posted by
sarah |
9:05 AM
Nick, your contribution is SO innovative and gorgeous - love the idea!! Such a fun, delicious-looking cookie - and hey, it DESERVES to be an indulgent treat!! Everything in moderation ;0)
Posted by
VeggieGirl |
1:44 PM
Oh, Nick, you're becoming SO gluten-free! And depending on the peanut butter you use, these could be dairy-free as well. I LOVE it!
And I like the thought of coconut and peanut butter together. Yum!
Melissa
Posted by
glutenfreeforgood |
5:56 PM
celine, Nicely put.
Naomi, Screaming teeth in a good way? They're actually not that sweet. When you consider that there is only a little over 3/4 cup of sugar in these compared to 3/4 cup peanut butter and 4 cups of other stuff, they actually turn out just a little sweet and a little salty. Perfect really. These would be great on a hike for energy, they're packed with some good nutrients and a small amount of sugar for a boost. Probably wouldn't bother with nest shaped ones for a hike though =)
elle, I love those m&m eggs!
Ben, these are almost diet food! There is not all that much sugar in them compared to the other ingredients which are genuinely healthy.
Fearless Kitchen, they'd go great with any nut butter, but honestly peanut butter and coconut is an exquisite combo - you must try!
Veggiegirl, correct! Moderation is key, which means that giving these away to my roommates so I only had 1 left to eat was a very good idea!
Sarah, Melissa, Thanks for pointing that out - I didn't realize they were vegan and gluten/dairy-free. I updated the post to show that, there's not many people that can't enjoy these now! Except peanut-allergy people =/. They must be the saddest people in the world...
Posted by
Nick |
11:02 PM
These look great! I will sure be making them soon! Great Recipe.
Posted by
Cassie |
2:22 AM
Those nest cookies look great!
Posted by
Kevin |
3:53 AM
I love the texture of the cookies and the simple ingredients list! I think I'm going to stop staring at the picture now--I'm drooling all over my keyboard...
Posted by
oatmeal |
6:02 AM
Ooh these look SO good!! Well done. I might have to forgo the jelly beans for something vegan though. =) Do you think chocolate chips might taste good with this?
Posted by
romina |
6:27 AM
So, when they're all gone, do you have...empty nest syndrome?
(I absolutely KILL me!)
Posted by
Cakespy |
8:14 AM
YUM! Those are really cute... and I just maaay have almost all of the ingredients at home already. Sweet!
Posted by
Heather B. |
9:25 AM
Oh my gosh these things taste amazing! My friend makes something like them..so good!
Posted by
Jessy and her dog Winnie |
1:31 PM
These are absolutely adorable! What a fun thing for your Mom to make you!
Posted by
Robin |
3:59 PM
Love the recipe! It's so simple yet yummy!! Looks like they'd be fun to make with kids.
Keep them coming.
Posted by
Hendersonville Epicurean |
4:49 PM
OMG i just stumbled across your blog and i SO WISH i had known about it sooner! I lovelovelove peanut butter and i love your blog! the pictures are awesome and i can't wait to try out these recipes!
Posted by
dessertobsessed |
11:36 PM
Those look great! I'm definitely going to have to make them.
Posted by
Katers |
11:31 AM