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Coconut Caramel Easter Egg Nests made with coconut macaroons, salted caramel sauce, and chocolate candy eggs are the cutest little Easter desserts ever.
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5 from 1 vote

Coconut Caramel Easter Egg Nests

Coconut Caramel Easter Egg Nests made with coconut macaroons, salted caramel sauce, and chocolate candy eggs are the cutest little Easter desserts ever.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 cookies

Ingredients

Coconut Macaroon Cookies:

Salted Caramel Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon corn syrup
  • 1/8 cup water amount may vary
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt flake salt recommended, amount completely depends on taste

Chocolate Candy Eggs:

  • 50 chocolate mini eggs Cadbury recommended, more eggs can be used if they fit

Instructions

To make the cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine blend coconut, sugar, flour, baking powder, almond extract, and salt until combined.
  • Beat egg whites in a bowl of stand mixer until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into coconut mixture just until combined.
  • Roll spoonfuls of coconut mixture between palms to golf ball size cookies and then flatten into a disk on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches space in between each cookie.
  • Bake cookies in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, and then open the oven and use the back of a spoon to create a well in the cookie and reshape it into a nest. Continue cooking until coconut is slightly golden and toasted, about 5-10 more minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 30 minutes.

To make the caramel sauce:

  • You want to use a medium to large sauce pot because the mixture boils pretty high. I used a 3 quart sauce pan and it worked perfectly.
  • Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in pan. You want mixture to resemble wet sand. You can add more water if you wish, the process will just take longer because you basically cook the sugar until the water evaporates.
  • Set the heat to medium to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat to high to boil it. Do not stir, but you may give the pot a gentle swirl as it boils. Cook until melted sugar has turned a bit brown in color and smells like caramel corn, but do not allow it to burn. If you aren't sure because you're cooking with a dark pan, you can dip a white spatula in to see color, but just dip a little because the sugar will harden and won't drip off the spoon back into the pan. This may take 5-15 minutes.
  • Once sugar is ready, very slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking while you pour. Once all the cream has been added, cook for about a minute before removing from heat.
  • This caramel sauce tastes amazing with salt, especially if you use flaked, but start slowly and add according to taste. You can also hold off on adding salt until you serve.

To assemble the cookies:

  • Fill each well with caramel sauce and top with 3-4 candy coated chocolate eggs.

Notes

Recipe makes about 16 cookies but quantity will depend on how big you shape them.

Cooking tips for perfect results:

  • Be sure to keep an eye on the macaroons while they are cooking. Coconut can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly.
  • When making caramel sauce, be sure to use a pan that is large enough to handle all the bubbles.
  • Do not leave the boiling sugar unattended. It can go from a rich golden brown to burnt very quickly.
  • Do not add cold cream to the boiling sugar. You want it to be set out at room temperature. Even then, it will rapidly boil and bubble once added. Making caramel sauce is easy - you just need to be careful and know what to expect.
  • Store the cookies in an air tight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature. 

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg