Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cupcakes {gluten-free}

Last year before Easter I stumbled upon these perfect blue eggs.  Hard coated chocolate with caramel in the middle; but I did not even care about that part.  I’d never seen a confection in this hue.  A gorgeous matte, mottled deep sky blue.  I had to have them and bought them for family Easter baskets.

I’ve not forgotten those eggs and in the back of my mind have been plotting for the last year about folding them into a recipe in a way that lets their unique beauty shine.  As the season turns toward spring the idea of an edible nest came to mind but I wanted to perch it on a cupcake.  I began to mentally engineer a method to create a nest, which had to be gluten-free, and then to experiment in the kitchen.  It was about this time that I realized I had no idea where I’d found the eggs last year.  I knew they were a more boutique product that I had not found them in a mainstream store.  Then as luck (or serendipity) will have it I had an errand in a local independent pharmacy where packaging of another Easter themed treat sparked my memory.  With a bit of poking around I found them again.  Of course any eggs with do but I was smitten with these in particular!

I loved the end result of these Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cupcakes.  Because they needed to be gluten free I used gluten free pretzel sticks from Glutino.  If you are able to eat gluten, chow mien noodles would be great too due to their winding shapes.  I also wanted a color variation so used two types of chocolate to dip the pretzels and then assembled the nests.  The combination of the orange cupcake, the chocolate-covered pretzel nest adding some crunchy texture and the candy eggs made this nothing less than whimsically perfect!

I won’t lie, it’s a bit of a labor intensive process but the result is worth it.  There are some chilling stages when assembling the nest itself and it can be done over a few days if you choose.  I found once they were assembled, the cupcakes (those which weren’t gobbled up) stayed in perfect form when refrigerated and protected (though the cupcake itself may become dry if stored too long).

Some overall observations:

• Dark chocolate is sturdier than milk chocolate meaning it takes longer to melt but also does not melt as readily when you are handling the coated pretzels.
• The process is a bit messy when dipping and assembling the nest.  If when handling the coated pretzels the chocolate begins to melt, don’t fret!  Any exposed areas will be painted with chocolate to cover them up.
• I found using bar chocolate to work better than melting chocolate chips.
• I chose to make a vanilla-based cupcake which I flavored to be orange.  I wanted a spring combination and love orange and chocolate together.  You of course can substitute for any flavor cupcake and/or frosting you choose.

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Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cupcakes {gluten-free}

A perfect celebration of spring or Easter, these chocolate bird's nest cupcakes will delight young and old! They may be made gluten-free or substitute with preferred gulten ingredients if wishing to do so. They take a bit of time and patience to assemble but the reaction to the end result makes that completely worth it!

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

• 1 batch of Vanilla Cupcakes with ½ teaspoon natural/organic Orange flavor and ½ teaspoon orange zest added (I used Pamela’s gluten-free Classic Vanilla Cake mix)
• 1 batch of Chocolate frosting (I used Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Frosting mix)
• Stick pretzels or chow mien noodles (note: chow mien noodles are not gluten-free)
• Chocolate for dipping (I used 2-3.2 ounce bars of each milk chocolate and dark chocolate which was plenty for 12 nests, mistakes and samples!)
• Supplies: wax paper , slotted spoon, baking sheets, small craft paint brushes (unused; one for each type or color of chocolate used), candy eggs

Instructions

Coating the pretzels:

1. In a double boiler or metal bowl above gently boiling pan of water, add chocolate to melt; keeping different types of chocolate separate if using more than one type. Chocolate can also be melted in the microwave if that feature is available.
2. As chocolate is melting, set out wax paper on baking sheets where dipped pretzels will be placed to harden.
3. Each nest requires 12 pretzels. Calculate how many you will be making along with some extra for errors or sampling! Place pretzels in melted chocolate. With a slotted spoon gently spoon chocolate over the pretzels to cover fully.
4. Scoop some pretzels up on the slotted spoon and gently shake the spoon over the melted chocolate to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl of chocolate. Place coated pretzels on the wax paper with room in between so they will harden individually. Place the pan of pretzels into the refrigerator to hasten hardening. Check after 10-15 minutes to see if they are hardened; remove or allow to sit longer as needed. Allow melted chocolate to remain in water (you can turn heat off) as it will be used again for ‘glue’ and repair when attaching the coated pretzels to make the nest.
   

Building the nests:

1. The nest is formed from three squares each made of 4 pretzels. If you choose to use different types of chocolate you may incorporate the types as you wish when building the nests.
2. To assemble the nest layers: see photos below for guidance. Place one pretzel vertically on wax paper on a baking sheet.
3. Select a second pretzel to cross over the first pretzel, close to the end of the first pretzel. Dip the unused craft paintbrush into the color chocolate matching the chocolate coating the second pretzel. Place a drop of the chocolate on the backside of the second pretzel where the two pretzels will attach. Place second pretzel on first pretzel, gently press down to make full contact. Allow it to dry for a few minutes before proceeding to layer on the third and fourth pretzel in the same manner. I chose to have one end of the pretzel over the pretzel before, and underneath the following pretzel to give more dimension (see photo).
   
4. If the chocolate has thinned out where you handled any of the pretzels you may paint a thin layer of chocolate over the spot to even it out. Place tray of squares into the refrigerator to harden (check after 15 minutes).
5. When the squares are hard and firmly attached, place one square on wax paper in a baking sheet. Take a second square and using the same ‘gluing’ method, dip the craft paintbrush in the chocolate to paint the spots on the back side of a second square to be placed at the angle shown in the photo below.
   
6. Place the second layer on all the nests and allow to sit and harden for a few minutes (this allows them to stabilize to add the final layer).
7. Place the third and final layer on the two layered nests in the same manner, orienting the third layer in the same position as the first layer. I found this gives the most stability in the end.
8. Place in the refrigerator to harden fully; about 20 minutes. You may do any repair chocolate painting if needed (the nest really are to look a bit rustic so some exposed spots give character I think!).
9. Note: if wishing to do the nest and cupcake assembly on different days, be sure to cover the coated pretzels or nests with plastic wrap to prevent oxidizing (getting a bit of a powdery look).

Assembling cupcakes:

1. Frost the number of cupcakes you desire. Gently place a nest in the middle of a given cupcake. Gently press downward to lodge the nest securely in the frosting. Add candy eggs and serve!

Recipe Notes

The time required to make the cupcakes is more intensive while making the nests due to the in between chilling times. I suggest making the cupcakes and while they are cooling to begin making the nests. The nests take about 25 minutes for coating the pretzels and the first chill; 15-20 minutes for assembly of the squares, dependng on how many you are making, plus 15 minutes chilling time; and about 20 minutes to assemble the final nests. This is all dependent on how many you are constructing and how easily you find the construction process to be.

I’ve woven another little surprise into this post.  My overall philosophy about the food I share is that I want it to be inclusive; regardless of whether someone is gluten-free or not, whether they choose to eat organically or not, I try to make it easy to adapt to readers’ needs and preferences so generally don’t cite brand-specific ingredients unless they are imperative to the recipe’s outcome.  However with gluten-free baking I’ve come to rely on some proven products after much experimentation.  I receive enough email querying what has worked for me that I’ve begun to share those products by name to hopefully aid in ensuring recipes using mixes work well for readers too.  I’ve said before I’d love to be able to bake everything from scratch but with my lifestyle I just can’t.  Having mixes I know work are a key to my cooking success!

Pamela’s has a product line of gluten-free mixes that are staples in my household.  A note to gluten-eaters, Pamela’s products are fabulous regardless of your gluten standing; I’ve served these to plenty of gluten-eaters who loved them and said later they’d never imagine them to be gluten-free!

Pamela’s Baking and Pancake mix is what we use for waffles and pancakes.  It is their cake mixes I use when in a time pinch or when making a recipe like this when I want to focus on the method and need help saving time with a guaranteed result.  I use their frosting mixes, brownie mixes and whole cookies for pie crusts such as Grasshopper Pie.

As I’ve been citing them more often in recent recipes, Pamela’s Products and I wanted to offer one Boulder Locavore reader the chance to experience their products!  Pamela’s will be giving away to one reader the following products (all products are gluten-free):

• 1 bag Classic Vanilla Cake mix (this is what I used for the cupcakes in this recipe)
• 1 bag Artisan Gluten-Free Flour blend (a newer product I’ve begun to use that I really like)
• 1 bag Baking and Pancake mix
• 1 bag Gluten-free Bread mix
• 1 bag Chocolate Brownie mix
• Measuring cups
• A reusable tote bag

To enter the Giveaway (open to U.S. residents/U.S. shipping addresses only): {CLOSED}

1. Leave a comment telling me ‘I love baking!’

For Additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry verifying what you have done; if you are already doing any of these, leave a separate comment for each one stating that):

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5. Subscribe to Boulder Locavore via email or RSS feed.
6. Follow @PamelasProducts on Twitter.
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9. Tweet about the Giveaway including a link to this post and ‘@BoulderLocavore’ using the Shareholic button below.
10. Post on Facebook about this Giveaway including a link to this post and ‘@BoulderLocavore’ using the Shareholic button below.

Total of 11 possible entries!!!

The winner is: SamW!  Congrats!

No purchase required. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Giveaway will run through midnight (Mountain Standard Time) Wednesday March 13, 2013. At that time a winner will be selected via Random.org and will be posted here Thursday, March 14, 2013.

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post but rather a chance to share a brand and products I’m crazy about with readers!  I was not compensated or supplied products for this post.  All opinions are my own.