This lovely Spring weather we’re having (today, at least) reminds me that Easter is on it’s way. And you know what that means…? CHOCOALTE. Lot’s and lot’s of chocolate. For this reason, I was eager to begin celebrations early and have turned to an old favourite: Chocolate Easter Egg Nests! These ones, however, are a slightly healthier twist on the classic and are raw, vegan and gluten-free.
The other difference is the mini eggs are made from raw marzipan instead of chocolate. My attempt at making the chocolate ones was a bit of a failure, I’m afraid. You can see the pictures here. Yeah, total fail! But I love these marzipan ones which taste delicious and were a LOT easier to make too!
- 100g coconut oil
- 3 tbsp honey or sweetener of choice
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 50g dessiciated coconut
- 50g coconut flakes
- 50g flaked almonds
- Melt the the coconut oil on a low heat and mix with the honey and cocoa powder to form a chocolate sauce.
- In a large bowl, combine the dessicated coconut, coconut flakes and almond flakes. Pour over the chocolate sauce and stir until everything is completely coated. Place the bowl in the fridge for about 5 minutes to let the chocolate cool and the mixture to thicken slightly.
- Divide the mixture into 8 cupcake cases (about 2 tbsp in each case) and then form into a nest shape with the back of a spoon or your thumb.
- Place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
- 25g ground almonds
- 3 tbsp honey or sweetener of choice
- Natural food colouring (I used spirulina powder, turmeric and dried strawberry powder)
- Optional: 1 tsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp vanilla extract
- To make raw marzipan, mix the ground almonds and honey in a food processor until it becomes dense and balls together. Don't over mix or it will release too much oil. Add more honey if needed, until the mixture resembles marzipan and can be shaped like a dough.
- Split into 3 portions and mix the various food colourings in separately. I used ⅓ tsp spirulina powder to make green, ⅓ tsp turmeric to make yellow and 1 tsp dried strawberry powder to make pink.
- Roll the marzipan into a small ball then press into an egg shape. Leave in the fridge to firm up.
- Optional: Make the chocolate speckled effect by mixing the cocoa powder and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Dip a clean paintbrush (not used on paint!) into the chocolate and gently tap on top of the marzipan eggs to create specks of chocolate. Return to the fridge to set.
Easter Blog Love:
- Super cute Strawberry-Filled Miffy Cookies by larecetadelafelicidad.com
- Banana Oatmeal Nests by thismamaloves.com
- Beautiful Carrot Cake Truffles by foodfaithfitness.com
So cute! Looks delicious too :) I just featured them on my blog http://www.colorfulcanary.com/2015/04/colorful-raw-easter-recipes-no-bake.html
Thank you! I’ll take a look now :-)
O jeez, Aimee, why am I reading this @ 1am?! I’ve got to share this vegan egg nests! These are perfect for Easter!!!!!! <3<3 You are so amazing at vegan desserts, I love that! And I <3 marzipan, they look so gooooooooooooood!
Thank you so much, Rika! I’m gonna be making them again when Easter comes round, hope you get to try them too :-) Also, I do that thing… reading food blogs at 1am. Never a good idea haha!
How cute! I made something similar last year for eater, but not raw. It seems delicious! I like that I am not the only one dreaming and planing for easter food and sweets already : )
Thanks Paula! I’m looking forward to seeing what Easter things you make too. Look out for some Easter snail mail soon :-)
How lovely! These are so fun and creative. I’ve never made my own marzipan, but yours turned out wonderfully. I’ve been seeing Easter egg macaroon nests on Pinterest and have been thinking I’ll definitely have to try it myself. It’s great to see that they can be made vegan as well.
What an adorable Easter treat! Love that it’s healthy too. Chocolate and coconut complement each other so well. The eggs look professionally done. You did a great job!
Why thank you, Christin!
These are the most adorable thing ever oh my!! And I love how they’re healthier than most – definitely a must try!
Thanks :-) I think you would love the chocolate nests, Consuelo – they remind me of bounty bars. So good!
These are so adorable Aimee! I love that you made your own marizpan eggs – they turned out beautifully and the colors are so perfect for Easter :)
Thanks Kelly!
Well, Aimee, this is officially the first easter recipe I’ve seen on a blog … congratulations!! These are genius. I always loved the naughty chocolate ones, so it’s a great idea to make a healthier version. I bet they taste beautiful with all that coconut goodness in!
Haha I know, I got in a little early! Thanks Helen :-)
These are adorable – and so perfect for Easter! It motivates me to start thinking about Easter recipes!
Look forward to seeing what you make for Easter, Kristi!
These are adorable and so healthy – love the marzipan eggs, love your natural food coloring choices!
Thanks Shashi :-) I was pretty shocked how well the food colouring turned out… I love the pastel colours they created!
These are great. I love the combination of ingredients. Delicious…. AND healthy! Chocolate, coconut and nuts all in one place. Doesn’t get better than that!
Thanks Kate :-) The taste really reminds me of bounty bars… very moreish!
These are adorable! I love that you went to the extra effort of making marizpan eggs – they turned out great. I would have naturally taken a shortcut with those chocolate Cadbury eggs. :) Lovely paper liners too.
Thanks Monica :-) I was so tempted to use the cadbury eggs after my chocolate mini eggs failure but I’m glad I went with the marzipan, they make a nice change!