Easter Chick Cupcakes

Do you remember those chocolate nests I made last Sunday? Well, they hatched.

Okay, maybe they didn't hatch per se, but if they actually did wouldn't that be just about the greatest thing ever? You slave over the world's simplest (and easiest) cookie recipe to make a batch of chocolate nests full of candy eggs and head off to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to find that your eggs have hatched into a bunch of cute baby cupcake chicks.

If only, if only.

Mama Chick is protecting her precious eggs from the dangers of nature (and sneaking fingers). Be careful; she might peck you if you get too close.

Once the little peepers hatch, they get hungry. Feed them gummy worms to stop the chirps. Now that I think of it, that might look too adorable (is there such a thing?). In any case, I'll caution you on this one. Do it at your own risk. Cute overload is a real threat.

I love the little chick on the left; he looks like he's puckering up for a big kiss.

These chicks remind me of the song Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. It's probably best that you don't ask me why I know all the lyrics.

If your little chicks are growing up too fast for your liking (they were tiny peeps just a moment ago!) and start to fly the nest, you can always lock them up. Keep them safe from the dangers of the world (and hungry stomachs) for just a little longer.

This is also effective in keep wandering hands from touching your afternoon snack.

In my biased opinion, I think these chicks are just too cute. I literally squeal in delight whenever I see them and then proceed to coo and peep at them for several minutes until I come back to my senses. Then, I eat them. They are cupcakes after all.

I played around with the size of the cupcakes when making the mamas, papas, and little peeps, which I think made all the difference. These Easter chicks are surprisingly easy to make. Young children could tackle the baby peeps with relative ease (they might need a little help on the beaks) while the older ones could try their hand at the big chicks. The bigger chicks are formed by molding marshmallows and attaching them to the cupcake with frosting.

I've always been hesitant to try out elaborately decorated cupcakes because the steps were long and complex or I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand (like colored candy melts or certain fruit chews). With that said, I can assure you that you most likely have all the ingredients for these chicks in your pantry already. You could decorate a flock of these chicks in a half hour's time (instead of an entire afternoon) without breaking a sweat. These Easter chicks are cute and practical; what more could you ask for?

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Chocolate Nests

It's no secret that I'm clumsy. My parents like to joke that they should have named me Grace. Oh, the irony. If only they had the foresight to actually do so—now that would have been truly ironic.

Unfortunately, my clumsiness (and uncanny ability to trip while standing still) extends to the kitchen. I'm a hazard to myself. I've burned myself more often than I can count. Currently, my arms and hands are host to a grand total of six burns. I honestly couldn't tell you where half of them came from. It's reached the point where I don't even notice when I've done it. Sometimes I tell people I won a battle between a renegade cupcake pan and myself. But really, who am I trying to kid? That cupcake pan kicked my butt.

I'm just glad baking doesn't require much knife work.

After all that fuss, I decided that it might be smart to make something no-bake this week. No knives, no ovens, no chance to injure myself unless I seriously forget the function of a spatula.

In honor of spring and the upcoming Easter holiday, I thought these chocolate nests would be perfect. I remember seeing these in cookbooks as a child, but I had never made or eaten them before. I figured it was time to put my childhood curiosity to rest. Since Easter candy is rampant this time of year, it's the best time of year to make these treats.

These Chocolate Nests are made from chow mein noodles coated in peanut butter and chocolate. I was initially hesitant to use chow mein noodles for these treats (chow mein noodles are associated more with stir fry and less with dessert in my head), but these noodles were destined for this dessert. I couldn't have been more wrong about them. They provide the perfect crunch and look with minimal taste so the chocolate and peanut butter really shine through. You can use any candy of your choosing for the eggs—mini candy eggs, jelly beans, foil wrapped chocolate eggs. The sky is really the limit here.

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Almond Joy Tart

One of the more interesting things I like to do when traveling abroad is to go shopping in foreign grocery stores. This may sound ridiculous. This may sound like a waste of time. Many of you may even be appalled that I'd take time out of sightseeing to peruse something so commonplace as a grocery store, but I'm going to stand behind myself on this one. It's quite amazing what you'll find.

It's one thing to dine in the unfamiliar restaurants of another country to get a sense of the food culture (and the flavors!), but dining out isn't how most of the population eats. I'm lucky if I dine out once a month. If you want to get a true idea of how people eat (and everybody eats), the market will show you just about everything you could wish to know.

I like to marvel at the differences from my own store and the foods I'm used to. Depending on where you live and where you are traveling, the fruits and vegetables vary. I've often picked up fruit I couldn't recognize, tried to translate the sign I couldn't read, and ended up snapping a photo to identify it later. The amount of boxed and processed foods scattered throughout the store can say quite a bit about the culture you're visiting. I've noticed that there seems to be a much greater focus on fresh food everywhere but the United States. I also find the sweet treats to be fascinating but, then again, my life tends to revolve a bit around butter and sugar.

Food says a lot about a culture and the people who live there. Next time you're in a far away land, eat as much as you can! But when you get full, take a minute or two out of your day to walk through a market and explore. You might just learn more than you expected.

Believe it or not, this tart tastes exactly like an Almond Joy. It is as if you've placed an Almond Joy on a flaky shortbread cookie and taken a big bite. Seriously. The sweet coconut is covered in just the right amount of chocolate—neither overwhelms the other. Sliced almonds are spread over the coconut giving each bite that rich and subtle almond flavor instead of the occasional big crunch in a real Almond Joy. This tart converted my coconut hating boyfriend into one who now requests I make more coconut treats.

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