Chocolate Easter Egg Nest Cookies

This past Saturday was a busy one for me! First, I went to my friend Jamie’s house to make these cookies with her and her kids…a fun, messy project with a delicious end result! We even played “Just Dance” (my first time) and I wowed the kids with my dancing ability and following skills. Practice makes perfect 🙂

Eli, Noah and Brooklyn, happy with the cookies they made 🙂

Then, my boyfriend and I attended a fundraiser gala for the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, along with some other colleagues from my work.  Of course, Chris and I got all dressed up…good to know that we clean up well 🙂

Don’t we look nice?

We also got to meet celebrity chef Susie Jimenez, who’s been on Food Network, runs a restaurant in Houston, and is sweet as can be. She prepared for us an amazing meal (with to-die-for desserts) that night – the vegetarian dish featured TURNIPS! A vegetable I never thought I’d enjoy eating, but it was so good!

Me with Chef Susie Jimenez!

Anyway, back to the cookies! These chocolate nests are creamy, moist and wonderfully sweet, topped with candy-coated chocolate Easter eggs…perfect for the upcoming holiday. We had fun pressing the eggs into the fresh-from-the-oven cookies, and devouring them while the chocolate inside was still gooey from the cookies’ warmth. A fantastic, easy treat for the whole family! Thanks to Jamie for letting me put her kids to work to make these.

Chocolate Easter Egg Nest Cookies

Chocolate Easter Egg Nest Cookies, adapted from Family Fresh Cooking

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

• 1 2/3 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) softened, unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 C candy-coated chocolate Easter eggs (I used the Cadbury’s kind)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two cookie sheets with PAM, set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar – we used good ‘ole elbow grease, but a mixer would do the job quickly. Crack in one egg, mix in completely. Add the second egg and vanilla and cream together until all is incorporated.

Working in stages, mix in some of the flour mixture. Continue to add the flour to the sugar-butter mixture until all is incorporated. The resulting dough will be sticky and very chocolatey.

Using tablespoons, scoop dough into your hands and roll into a 1″ sized ball. Place on prepared cookie sheet, and use your thumb to create an indent, where the chocolate eggs will be pressed after baking.

Continue doing this with the dough until all is used up. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until you see “crinkles” forming on the cookies.

Immediately after removing from the oven, press 2-4 chocolate eggs into the indents on the cookies. You’ll need to work fast, before they start to cool and set. Allow cookies to cool on their pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack, using a flat spatula. Cool another 10 minutes before enjoying your creation!

What will you be making for Easter this year?