These adorable Coconut Birds Nest Cookies are simple but impressive Easter treat. They’re made using our easy Coconut Macaroon recipe, a little food coloring, and your favorite mini candy eggs.
Coconut Nests are a great way to make your Easter Brunch spread super festive with very little effort. And if coconut macaroons aren’t your thing, try our Chow Mein White Chocolate Bird Nests or this Rice Krispies Bird Nest recipe. It’s a similar concept, but made with Rice Krispies and gooey marshmallows instead.
Recipe Notes
These Coconut Macaroon Bird Nest Cookies are easily one of my favorite Easter treats. Not only are they simple and delicious, but they make any holiday table look super festive. Kids love them because, hello, they are filled with candy! But, adults will love them because these coconut macaroons are de-lish.
You can fill the center of each Easter nest with shredded green coconut and a few candies, melted chocolate or even top each cookie off with a marshmallow Peep.
If you’re looking for more Easter Desserts, be sure to check out our Easter Bunny Cinnamon Rolls.
Birds Nest Cookie Ingredients
- Shredded Coconut – we suggest using sweetened coconut but you can substitute unsweetened coconut if you want to cut a bit of sugar.
- Flour – you can use either all-purpose flour or cake flour for this recipe.
- Sugar – you’ll need white granulated sugar to make these coconut macaroon cookies.
- Salt – sea salt or kosher salt work great.
- Egg Whites – you will need only the whites from the eggs. Either reserve the yolks for another use or discard.
- Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Green Food Coloring – this is optional but really makes it pop.
- Mini Candy Eggs – you can use Cadbury Mini Eggs, another brand of mini chocolate eggs or even jelly beans.
How to Make Coconut Birds Nests
- Make the coconut mixture. Combine the shredded coconut, flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Scoop. Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the coconut mixture onto baking sheets with parchment paper, keeping them 2″ apart. Use a rounded spoon to create a dent in the center of each macaroon.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms and edges. Remove from the oven and use a rounded spoon to press the dent (or nest) into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Decorate. Meanwhile, in a small bag, combine 2/3 cup shredded coconut and 5 drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake until the food coloring has distributed evenly on all of the coconut. Remove green shredded coconut from the bag and add about 1 tablespoon to the center of each nest. Top with a few Cadbury Mini Eggs, then serve.
- Enjoy!
How to Make Coconut Macaroon Bird Nests
- These are easy to make a day ahead of your party or celebration. Simply place them in a covered container and place on the counter. They will be chewy and soft and ready to go when you are.
- Just don’t add the jelly beans or chocolate eggs to the bird nests until you are ready to serve them. Then you can ensure the candy is fresh and has the right texture.
- You can make different colors of grass to use. Pink, purple blue or yellow would be a fun variation.
- Here are a few of our tried and true tips, tricks and variations to make the very best Coconut Macaroon Easter Nests:
- Add a tablespoon of melted chocolate, ganache or Nutella to the center of the bird nests before adding the coconut grass and candy Easter eggs.
- For a nice finishing touch, dip the bottom of each coconut macaroon nest into melted chocolate and let them set up on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In order to get perfectly round nests, you can bake the macaroons in mini muffin tins. Be sure and spray each muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray before adding the coconut mixture. Otherwise, you’ll make and bake exactly as directed.
- Substitute any of your favorite mini candy eggs or jelly beans for the center. For fun, you could even top each cookie with a marshmallow Peep!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you’re a real planner, you can go ahead and store the baked macaroons in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months. That way all you’ll need to do is add the green coconut grass and the candy eggs at the last minute.
Macaroons and macarons are both cookies that are made with egg whites and sugar. However they look, taste and are made quite differently. Macaroons are made with shredded coconut, are most often nut-free and originated in the United States.
Macarons, on the other hand, are a French confection made with almond flour and meringue. A macaron consists of two brightly colored meringue cookies sandwiched together with any number of different flavored fillings. Macaroons are always coconut.
Hopefully, you shouldn’t have this issue with our Coconut Macaroon recipe since we add a little flour to ours. However, if you find that your Coconut Macaroon Easter Nests are spreading, next time try beating the egg whites separately in a bowl with a whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture carefully, then scoop and bake as directed.
Another trick is refrigerating the macaroons for about 30 minutes after scooping them.
Storing Instructions
- Room Temperature: macaroon nests can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: if you want them to last a bit longer, store macaroon nests in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: the baked cookies will also freeze great. Store in freezer bags or an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer. To thaw, pull out to room temperature for a couple of hours then decorate as desired.
More Easter Desserts You’ll Love
Coconut Macaroon Bird Nests Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-2/3 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- 2/3 cup shredded coconut
- 5 drops green food coloring
- 1 cup Cadbury Mini Eggs, or any other candy egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded coconut, flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the coconut mixture onto baking sheets with parchment paper, keeping them 2" apart. Use a rounded spoon to create a dent in the center of each macaroon.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms and edges.
- Remove macaroons from the oven and use a rounded spoon to press the dent, or nest, into the center of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a small bag, combine 2/3 cup shredded coconut and 5 drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake until the food coloring has distributed evenly on all of the coconut.
- Remove green shredded coconut from the bag and add about 1 tablespoon to the center of each nest. Top with a few Cadbury Mini Eggs, then serve. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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More of The Best Easter Recipes To Try
- Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
- Rice Krispies Bird Nests
- Cadbury Cookie Bars
- How to Cook a Spiral Ham
- Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
- Bacon and Asparagus Quiche
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
- Coconut French Toast
- More Dessert Recipes
- More Easy Cookies
These festive Coconut Macaroon Easter Nests are a simple and delicious Easter treat for all ages. They’re made with our easy Coconut Macaroons recipe, a little food coloring and your favorite mini candy eggs.
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These cookies are yummy and so easy to put together. Plus they are a fun spring treat!!