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These easy no bake gluten free bird's nest cookies are just a simple combination of melted chocolate and crispy chow mein noodles. Ready in minutes!
There are plenty of recipes for bird's nest cookies, but this is the only one that helps you source all of the proper ingredients to make them gluten free—even if you can't find the gf noodles. Let me help you join in the Easter fun!
my take
Nicole's Recipe Notes
This recipe is just for fun! There are tons of recipes for these sort of Easter cookies on the web. But I had heard that you could buy gf chow mein noodles and I wanted to prove it to you!
I also made sure I tried this simple no-recipe recipe with gf pretzel sticks. Those are available everywhere and some recipes I've seen for these treats casually claim that they're gluten free because you can “just use pretzels.”
If you break the pretzel sticks in half, right in the center, to create 2 equal halves, you can definitely make chocolate covered nests with them. But I won't lie to you—it's much harder to get the candy-coated chocolate eggs to stay put on top.
If you like the idea of chocolate no bake cookies but don't want all the trouble of sourcing ingredients, maybe just stick with our no bake oatmeal cookies recipe. But aren't you still glad to see that you can make bird's nests, even if you don't actually do it?
what's in it
Ingredient selection & substitutions
Gluten free chow mein noodles
Gefen brand makes authentic-tasting gluten free chow mein noodles. They have a “fine” noodle, which is ideal for this recipe, and a “wide” noodle, which isn’t very wide but is more flat than the ones I used.
The wide noodle was more available, but in the name of authenticity, I ordered the thin noodles from Amazon. In my personal experience, they came carefully packaged and weren’t stale or broken, as many of the earlier Amazon reviews state.
If you can't find any gf crispy chow mein noodles, you can use gluten free pretzel sticks to make this recipe. Break each pretzel stick in the center or you won't be able to scoop the mixture.
I also think that corn Chex cereal would make a great crispy noodle replacement. The shape wouldn't be as similar, but I think they would be easier to work with than pretzels and taste even better.
Chocolate
You can use chocolate chips here instead of chopped baking chocolate. They will just take a bit longer to melt. Just use something that you love the taste of, and that would go well with whatever flavored chips you've chosen.
Flavored chips
I used Nestle brand butterscotch chips, but you can use white chocolate chips, caramel flavored chips, or even peanut butter flavored chips. Read labels carefully, since many of the flavored chips are not gluten free. Or you can just use 6 ounces more chocolate and forget about adding flavorings.
Cadbury mini eggs
These candy-coated milk chocolate miniature egg-shaped candies are one of the best things about this time of year. Placing a few of them on top of the chocolate “nest” is what makes these cookies so fun. If you don't like or can't have those eggs, you can always use 3 larger-sized jelly beans. If you love those little seasonal eggs like I do, you have to try our gluten free Cadbury egg cookies! So much gluten free Easter goodness!
Dairy-free
If you need to make sure this recipe is dairy-free, be sure to select dairy free chocolate flavored chips (or skip the chips altogether and just use more chocolate). The Gefen chow mein noodles are dairy-free, but the Cadbury eggs contain milk, so you should use jelly beans instead.
Egg-free
There are eggs in the Gefen chow mein noodles, so you should use gluten free pretzel sticks instead.
Gluten Free Bird's Nest Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces your favorite baking chocolate, chopped (you can use chocolate chips, too)
- 6 ounces gluten free butterscotch chips, (or white chocolate or peanut butter chips)
- 2 ¾ cups (7.7 ounces) gluten free fine chow mein noodles, (See Recipe Notes)
- 36 Cadbury mini eggs, or large jelly beans
Instructions
- Line a large flat surface with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a medium-size heat-safe (or microwave safe) bowl.
- Melt the mixture either over a double boiler, stirring frequently, or in short bursts of about 20 seconds each in the microwave, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- The flavored chips will take longer to melt than baking chocolate, and even longer than chocolate chips if you are using those instead of baking chocolate. Don’t rush and use too much heat, or the chocolate will seize.
- Let the melted mixture sit, stirring frequently, until no longer hot to the touch. Otherwise, the noodles may taste stale.
- Place the chow mein noodles on top of the melted chocolate mixture.
- Using a silicone spatula, turn the mixture over to mix gently with a until all of the pieces are coated in the chocolate mixture.
- Using a medium-size spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop the mixture into 10 portions, each about 2 tablespoons in volume.
- Release the mixture in mounds on the parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches between them.
- Place 3 candies in the center of each mound and press gently to help them adhere.
- Allow to stand until no longer warm at all (about 15 minutes), and then place the cookies, still on the paper and flat surface, in the refrigerator to chill until fully set (about 30 minutes). When they’re fully set, they will no longer be shiny at all and can be moved easily off the paper.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
After they're set, you can store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. A flat, rectangular container is best. Just place a sheet of parchment paper between layers of cookies.
For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 1 month, and then defrost in the refrigerator. The chocolate will most likely “bloom” or develop some white streaks, but they won't change the flavor (just the appearance). The noodles may get a bit stale in the freezer.
Rather than try to look for a peanut butter flavored chip, you can just still some peanut butter into the melted chocolate. Sort of like making Rice Krispie Coco Logs from my childhood days.
I’m afraid that would prevent the cookies from setting up, Meg.
I use Pik Nik Shoestring potatoes to make these. They are salty, which to my mind makes it more delicious!
That’s a great idea, Cynthia! Utz also makes gluten free potato sticks that I think would work well. Thanks for sharing that!
Perhaps shoestring potato stx would work? Have they stayed crisp?
Has anyone tried this?
They may not hold their texture and shape after being covered in melted chocolate, but it’s an interesting idea! Thanks for your thoughts!