Birds Nest Cookies

An Easter recipe just in time… These cookies are cute and easy to make!

Ingredients:
Cookies:
215 grams butter, room temperature
½  cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Icing:
10 grams butter
½ - ¾ cup icing sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons cocoa
hot water

Topping:
Coconut
A few drops food colouring
Small Easter eggs

Method:
Pre- heat your oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and cocoa powder.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix on low speed just until a stiff dough forms, about 2 minutes.  Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. 
On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to a ½cm thickness.  Using a round cookie cutter, cut out cookies; place them on lined baking sheets.  Chill cookies until firm, about 20 minutes.
Bake cookies until set, about 12 - 15 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While cookies cool make icing and colour your coconut by putting a few drops of food colouring in a plastic bag and rub coconut around to colour evenly.
Once cookies are cool place coconut on a tray, ice cookies with chocolate icing and dip in coconut.
Place 2 - 4 mini eggs on top of each ‘nest’.

Happy Easter from Courtenay and Melissa xox