It’s crazy to think that I’ve never gone an Easter – since the day I was born (or maybe just since I was young enough to remember) – without having these delicious cookies! My mom made these every Easter while I was growing up, and she continued making them for us into my adult years. In fact, I would look forward to Easter mainly because of these cookies; it was something we reserved only for this holiday. When I was old enough, around 4 or 5 years old, my mom would have me help her make these cookies. I’d help dye the coconut flakes, roll the dough, and add the M&Ms while my mom scolded me for snacking on the M&Ms during the whole process. Which, by the way, I still do to this day as an adult – some things just never change.
In looking at my mom’s recipe all these years later, it looks like she found this yummy recipe in a magazine; in her written words, “either from Good Housekeeping magazine or Woman’s Day magazine, March 1992”. I was born in 1991, so truly these cookies have been around since my first Easter! Now enough about me and more about the cookies – they are SO incredibly chewy and soft, never too sweet, and have hints of warm almond and coconut flavors complimented by the sweet crunch of M&Ms. So are you ready to bake these cookies now, or what?
“Compared to many Easter traditions, several of which pre-date Christianity, chocolate eggs are relatively new. Eggs are an ancient symbol of fertility, new life, rebirth, and the brightness of Spring. But making them from chocolate originated in France and Germany in the 1800s by a certain Mr. Cadbury.”
– Goodtoknow.com
Mom’s Easter Bird’s Nest Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 8 oz Light Cream Cheese (my favorite is the Philadelphia brand)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Almond Extract
- 3 cups Coconut Flakes (make sure they are moist, like the ones from the Baker's brand)
- 1 drop Pink (or Red) Food Coloring
- 1 drop Yellow Food Coloring
- 2 9oz Pastel-Colored Almond M&Ms (the pastel colored ones usually come out around Easter time only)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy and well-combined.
- Add sugar and almond extract to mixing bowl with butter and cream cheese; beat until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add flour mixture to mixing bowl and slowly beat until well-combined. Then, add 1 cup of coconut flakes and fold in using a large rubber or wooden spatula.
- Refrigerate dough mixture in mixing bowl for 45 minutes or until firm.
- Once dough is ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees if using non-stick baking sheets).
- Put 1/2 cup coconut flakes into a small glass bowl and add 1 drop of yellow food coloring. Stir with a spoon until coconut flakes are coated in yellow coloring.
- Then, put 1/2 cup coconut flakes into another glass bowl and add one drop of pink or red food coloring. Stir with a spoon until coconut flakes are coated in pink/red coloring.
- Optional: mix both bowls of coconut flakes into one bowl and mix well to combine.
- Roll dough into individual small balls, rolling into the bowl(s) of coconut flakes until covered, and placing on to a baking sheet 1" apart with one M&M placed into the center of each ball.
- Bake on a non-greased cookie sheet for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from oven, adding two more M&Ms to the center of each cookie to make them look like a bird's nest with eggs.
- Place back into oven and cook for 5 minutes longer or until the cookies are lightly golden brown.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Watch my video on how to make this recipe by clicking here.
