Cornflakes Easter Nests

Celebrate Easter with these adorable cornflakes Easter nests! They’re crunchy, chocolatey, perfectly sweet, and brimming with cute mini eggs. Best of all, the recipe requires only 5 simple ingredients, 20 minutes prep, and is a fun seasonal treat to make with children.

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Chocolate Easter nests

Cornflakes easter nests are such a treat, cute to look at, and oh-so-yummy! Chocolate-coated cornflakes clusters, shaped into nests, filled with equally tempting mini eggs. They are the perfect amount of festive while still being totally easy!

Plus, I love that these can be made last-minute. All you have to do is melt some chocolate, stir in cornflakes, and spoon that mixture into a muffin pan. The hardest part is waiting until the chocolate has set enough, and you can happily munch away on these.

So let’s grab our ingredients and whip up a batch of this easter egg nests recipe! 

If you love easy Easter desserts, be sure to try our mini egg brownies, Easter egg cheesecake, and Cadbury egg cookies.

What are chocolate cornflakes nests?

My chocolate nests recipe is made with cornflakes, chocolate, honey, butter, and cute chocolate eggs. Cornflakes clusters are so nostalgic, and leveling them up with cute mini eggs turns them into the perfect Easter treat!

Ingredients & substitutions

The wonderful thing about cornflakes Easter nests is that they’re super simple to make and only call for a few staple ingredients. I’ve also included possible substitutions so you can adjust the recipe to your liking. See the recipe card at the end for specific measurements.

• Cornflakes are obviously an essential ingredient in mini egg nests. For a gluten-free treat, buy cornflakes that are certified gluten-free.
• Chocolate: I recommend using a chocolate bar or cooking chocolate over chocolate chips. Chips don’t melt as well and result in a grainy texture, but if that’s all what you have on hand, chocolate chips will work, too.
• Butter: A knob of butter goes a long way in this nests recipe. It creates a softer chocolate coating and adds delicious flavor. Butter can be substituted with margarine or a dairy-free butter spread if needed.
• Honey: 2 tablespoons of clear honey add sweetness and give the cornflakes nests a beautiful glossy finish. You can also swap in golden syrup or brown rice syrup.
• Mini Eggs: Pastel-colored Cadbury mini eggs are the cutest Easter candy ever, and I always buy them by the bucket when they become available. Of course, you can stuff your easter dessert nests with pretty much any sweets you like.

You’ll also need a large glass mixing bowl, spoon, muffin pan (tin), and paper cupcake or muffin liners.

How to make cornflake Easter nests

So just how do you make chocolate cornflakes Easter nests? Let’s take a look at the recipe step-by-step. It’s so simple, you’ll want to adapt these for other holidays, too!

Step 1: Prep muffin pan

• Line a regular-size, 12-hole muffin pan (tin) with paper liners and set aside.

Step 2: Melt chocolate + butter

• Add the chopped chocolate, butter, and honey (or golden syrup if using) to a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Warm in the microwave in 30-second increments until completely melted.
• Set your microwave to medium power to avoid burning the chocolate. Stir the mixture between each heating.

Step 3: Mix in cornflakes

• Drop the cornflakes into the bowl with the melted chocolate mixture.
• Using a large spoon, toss and stir carefully until the cornflakes are evenly coated in chocolate, and you no longer see uncoated pieces.

Step 4: Form nests

• To build the nests, add 3 tablespoons of chocolate-coated cornflakes into the paper muffin cases.
• Gently press the cornflakes mixture down, forming a well in the center and bringing the cornflakes up on the sides.
• I like to start with 1 tablespoon of mixture and compact before adding more. Decorate each nest with 3 mini chocolate eggs.

Step 5: Chill

• Put the muffin pan (tin) into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the chocolate has firmed up. Your cornflakes nests are ready!

Step 6: Serve

• Remove the paper liners for serving.
• If you want to bring the chocolate easter nests to a party or gift them, leave the nests in the cupcake wrappers.

Tips for success

Cornflakes chocolate nests are one of the more straightforward treat recipes, but a few extra tips are always helpful. If you’re looking to really guarantee perfect easter nests every time, make sure to follow these tricks!

• Use paper liners. I don’t recommend putting the cornflake mixture directly into the pan because they will stick and be hard to remove. Muffin liners make it so much easier to take the nests out of the pan.
• Melt the chocolate carefully. If using a chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces to melt more evenly and smoothly. Melt the chocolate at medium power as it can burn at high heat.
• Grab a large bowl. Cornflakes take up a lot of space and so you want to toss the cornflakes and melted chocolate in a relatively large bowl.
• Mini muffin pan. You can also create tiny easter nests by using a mini muffin pan.

Variations

If you like, you could change up the chocolate and cornflakes in many different ways. Here are a few ideas for inspiration!

• Type of chocolate: I’ve made these with milk chocolate, but if that isn’t your thing, you can always prepare them with white, semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or a mix of different chocolates. Candy melts are a beautiful way to create colorful chocolate egg nests.
• Syrup: Many chocolate nest recipes use golden syrup (a golden-colored syrup made from cane sugar) instead of honey. And you can substitute 2 tablespoons golden syrup for honey if desired. Light corn syrup or brown rice syrup are also good options. I don’t recommend maple syrup and agave syrup as they are too liquid.
• Cereal: Other cereal such as rice krispies, shredded wheat, and all bran would also be wonderful options to use in place of cornflakes.
• Decorations: Decorate the easter birds nest recipe with your favorite sprinkles or nonpareils (hundreds-and-thousands.) Sprinkle them over the chocolate nests and enjoy!

FAQ

Can I make cornflakes nests without butter and honey?

Yes, you can omit the butter and honey and prepare the mini egg nests with just cornflakes and chocolate. They enhance the flavor and make the nests easier to chew but aren’t absolutely essential. To make the recipe with chocolate alone, simply use 225 g / 8 oz of chocolate.

How long do they chocolate nests take to set?

The type of chocolate you used will determine how long the cornflakes easter nests take to set. Milk, plain, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate need approximately 30 minutes in the fridge or 1 to 1.5 hours at room temperature. White chocolate takes the longest and sets best in the refrigerator (about 1 hour).

Storage instructions

How to store cornflakes easter nests

Chocolate Easter nests can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Either way, place them in an airtight container to keep the cornflakes fresh and crunchy. Make sure the container is sealed, so moisture doesn’t enter and soften the cornflakes.

Can you freeze chocolate nests?

Yes, you can freeze this chocolate bird nest recipe. For the best results, freeze the nests without the mini eggs. Place the cooled cornflakes nests in a freezer-safe container or a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

You can enjoy the edible nests from frozen or defrost them on the counter for an hour or so. Keep in mind that frozen, thawed cornflakes can lose some of the crunchiness. I find they taste better frozen.