Birds' Nests

I haven't really been baking much lately. Nor have I been hiking. There's not much to talk about with the move yet. Hence the lack of blogging this past week or so. But. I'm itching to write a post, so I'm pulling out this recipe. I made "Birds' Nests" for Easter, and took pictures and everything, but never actually wrote the post. So here's a bit of a delayed Easter post. Happy belated Easter?

(There were Rice Krispie Treats, too, but just plain old run-of-the-mill Rice Krispie Treats... with M&Ms on top. Nothing to blog home about.) 

They're called "Birds' Nests" because of the "eggs" (jelly beans) on top. If you leave the jelly beans off, then they're "Haystacks". They're usually only Birds' Nests at Easter/springtime; the rest of the year they're Haystacks, in my kitchen anyway.

I don't think I'm going to post this in regular recipe format. Mostly because there is no set ingredient list, and they're super-mega-easy to make. In their most basic form, all you need is a bag of baking chips (chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, whatever) and a bag of Chow Mein noodles. My favorite is butterscotch. You melt the chips over low heat (or in a double boiler to make sure they don't burn), and very carefully stir in the Chow Mein noodles, breaking as few as possible. I also usually stir some peanuts in. (I didn't at Easter because my youngest nephew is allergic.)

So to recap... melt chips, stir in noodles (and nuts, if so desired). Then you drop spoonfuls on to baking sheets covered with wax paper or foil. Shape them into nests/stacks, and place some jelly beans on top if you're going for the nest theme.

At Easter, I did half butterscotch and half chocolate. So I split a whole bag of Chow Mein noodles into two, and used half a bag each of butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. 

After you have them all spooned out and shaped, either set them in a cool place for a couple of hours until they harden, or put them in the fridge for half an hour to an hour until they're set. 

I made a little dessert tray with my Nests and Treats. Of course, I also had pies and a cake. This was just a little... appetizer... dessert... tray...? They were pre-dessert desserts. Appesserts. That's totally a thing. Go with it. When I write my cookbook, maybe I'll have an Appesserts section. These will probably be in it.

These are a great little treat because it's impossible not to like them, they're totally versatile, and they're sooo simple. You can make them into whatever flavor floats your boat. You can add in anything you want, or just leave them at two ingredients. How could you not love this recipe? Go forth and make some Birds' Nests/Haystacks to share. Also, spread the word Appesserts. It really needs to catch on.

Enjoy!