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Toasty Coconut Nests

March 30, 2012 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 3 Comments

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Easter and food allergies can be quite a conundrum. We want to fill those sweet baskets with goodies that are safe and fun. Here’s a great recipe for an Easter celebration or for filling baskets.

I love that this recipe is not overly sweet. Each nest is just about bite sized. It’s free of all the top 8 allergens as well as gluten with only three ingredients. Kiddos would have a blast helping make these little nests too! They could sort the jelly beans or even shape the nests.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

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Toasty Coconut Nests

A simple and tasty Easter treat or snack for those with food allergies. Make these for your baskets or a snack.
Prep Time30 minutes minutes
Cook Time5 minutes minutes
Servings - 16 nests

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut
  • 3/4 cup mini marshmallows melted
  • 1/2 cup jelly beans

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the coconut out evenly.
  • Toast the coconut for about 3-5 minutes in the oven.
  • Melt ¾ cup of marshmallows in a small bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute or until mostly melted. Stir well to smooth it out.
  • Place the toasted coconut in a medium bowl and stir in melted marshmallow until you are satisfied with the consistency.  You’ll want it to be sticky enough to hold together and firm enough to hold its shape when molded.
  • Let the coconut and marshmallow mixture cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
  • Grab about 1 Tablespoon of the coconut mixture and mold it into a little nest. You can of course make them larger or smaller according to your tastes.
  • Continue molding until you’ve shaped all of your nests.  They don’t have to look exactly the same; that adds to the charm.
  • Place 1 to 3 jelly beans in each nest, pressing them down slightly to make them stick.

 

 

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Filed Under: Budget Friendly Recipes, Dairy Free Meal Ideas, Food Allergies on a Budget, Gluten Free Recipes

Comments

  1. Angie Atchley says

    March 30, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Awesome!!

    Reply
  2. Sophie W. says

    April 4, 2012 at 11:43 am

    Thank you for sharing! My husband has recently been diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, and we have had to do a total 180 degree diet change. He is on an egg, dairy, wheat, fish, soy and nut free diet, and it’s been so difficult finding allergy free dessert treats. Glad to be able to add a simple and delicious recipe to my newly revised recipe box!

    Reply
  3. Kolleen says

    March 24, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    A hard lesson to learn, my son is allergic to tree nuts, coconut is a tree nut, a very large nut. Check with your doctor before adding coconut to a restricted diet
    .

    Reply

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