I know that I’m cutting it a little fine (okay…very fine), but I didn’t want to let Easter go by without sharing a little sweet treat to mark the occasion! Luckily, this recipe is super quick and easy, so it makes for a great, last-minute bake.

Today’s recipe is a combination of two of my all-time favourite treats: Easter Nests & Mars Bar Rice Crispy Cakes. These are my… Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests!

Imagine, if you will, a chocolate cereal nest, filled with Mini Eggs (as it should be), but, instead of straight chocolate, this mixture is made with caramel-y, nougat-y Mars Bars (and the nests are drizzled with extra melted chocolate, because it is Easter, after all). These Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests are sweet and delicious: a super fun spin on an Easter classic.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• How to Make Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests
• Tips & Tricks
• Recipe

Ingredients

To make these Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Mars Bars

The star of the show! You’ll need 4 x 39.4g bars (which, handily enough, equates to 1 multipack of the bars).

• Butter

I use unsalted butter for this recipe.

• Golden syrup

Golden syrup is melted together with the Mars Bars and butter to make a deliciously sticky, caramel-y mixture that holds the rice crispies together. I’ve given the amount in grams here, because wrangling golden syrup out of a measuring spoon is one of my biggest pet peeves: I won’t be inflicting that on you here— you can weigh the syrup right into the saucepan!

• Rice Crispies

These go by so many names: rice crispies, rice bubbles, rice pops… the list goes on! Basically, if you’ve got puffed rice cereal, you’re good to go. Theoretically, you should be able to make these nests with other types of cereal (shredded wheat and cornflakes are common alternatives for standard chocolate nests), but I’ve only ever tried this particular recipe with rice crispies.

• Mini Eggs

Mini Eggs are a vital part of any Easter Nest (apart from, you know, actual nests). I’ve used three eggs per nest here, but you can do as many or as few as you like.

• Milk chocolate

I like to drizzle the nests with a little chocolate because a) it’s Easter, b) it helps to secure the Mini Eggs in place and c) chocolate goes SO WELL with Mars Bar Rice Crispy Cakes! I’ve used milk chocolate, but feel free to use whatever chocolate you like: for an even sweeter treat, try white chocolate, or, for a slightly more grown-up snack, use dark chocolate.

How to Make Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests

These nests are SO easy to make! You basically just melt the Mars Bars, butter and golden syrup together, stir through the rice crispies, divide them between some fairy cake cases, add some Mini Eggs and drizzle the whole lot with chocolate. That’s it! They’re perfect for making with kids, because they don’t require any actual baking— just be careful with the warm Mars Bar mixture.

Start by lining a 12-cup fairy cake tin with paper liners and set it aside, ready for later.

Chop the Mars Bars into chunks, then dice the butter.

Put the Mars Bar chunks, diced butter and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and place over low heat.

Stir frequently while everything melts together. Eventually, you’ll end up with a smooth, thick and shiny mixture, like this.

Take the pan off the heat and immediately stir through the rice crispies.

The mixture will be quite stiff, so you’ll need to use a little bit of elbow grease for this! Work quickly, because the mixture will stiffen up even more as it starts to cool.

Still working quickly, use two dessertspoons to divide the rice crispy mixture between the 12 fairy cake cases (about a generously heaped dessertspoon’s worth of mixture per case).

Press 3 (or however many you fancy) Mini Eggs into the centre of each rice crispy heap, pushing them down a little to make sure they’re nicely stuck in and to help create that ‘nest’ shape. If your rice crispy mixture has cooled a bit by this point, the eggs might not stick firmly into it, but that’s okay: we’ll be adding melted chocolate next, which will help to keep them nice and secure!

The final step is to drizzle over some melted chocolate. I like to use a fork for this for ease (I think the tines help to get the drizzle effect!).

Drizzle the chocolate back and forth across each nest, then set them aside at room temperature to firm up for 1-2 hours before serving.

The finished nests can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. I recommend storing them in their paper cases, because the Mars Bar mixture can make them a little sticky.

Tips & Tricks

This is a super simple recipe to make, but I do have a few tips & tricks, particularly for working with the Mars Bar mixture, that I wanted to share!

• Don’t skip the paper cases

The Mars Bar mixture is significantly stickier than the classic chocolate mixture and won’t firm up as much, so the paper cases are essential for this recipe!

• Be careful not to let the Mars Bar mixture overheat.

Mars Bars are chocolate-y, so the mixture will seize up and split if it’s overheated. Stick to a low heat, stir frequently and make sure to chop up both the Mars Bars and butter beforehand to ensure they melt evenly.

• Use a flat-edged, wooden spoon to mix the rice crispies into the Mars Bar mixture.

Once the Mars Bar mixture starts cooling down, it will become increasingly stiff and hard to work with. Because of this, you need to use a strong utensil to stir through the rice crispies (along with some good old fashioned elbow grease!). I like to use a wooden spoon with a flat edge, because it means I can really scrape down to the bottom of the pan and ensure everything is mixed perfectly.

• Work quickly

Because the Mars Bar mixture gets harder to work with as it cools, you need to start working quickly as soon as you take it off the heat. That includes when you’re mixing in the cereal, dividing it between the fairy cake cases and adding the Mini Eggs. One of the reasons this recipe is so good to make with children is that it means you have a second pair of hands— you can be dividing up the mixture while they press in the eggs!

Recipe

Print

Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests

A fun twist on the classic chocolate rice crispy nests for Easter, these easy treats are made with a melted Mars Bar mixture and feature a melted chocolate drizzle.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword Chocolate, Easter, Mars Bars, Nests, no-bake, Rice crispies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Set Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 nests

Equipment

• 1 x 12-hole fairy cake tin, lined with paper cases.

Ingredients

• 4 x 39.4g Mars Bars, chopped.
• 40 g unsalted butter, diced.
• 25 g golden syrup
• 75 g rice crispies
• 36 Mini Eggs (approx. 120g).
• 40 g milk chocolate, melted.

Instructions

• Place the chopped Mars Bars, diced butter and golden syrup into a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until the butter and Mars Bars have melted completely and you have a smooth mixture.
• Remove the pan from the heat and immediately tip in the rice crispies. Working quickly, stir through the cereal until all of the rice crispies are completely coated in the Mars Bar mixture.
• Divide the mixture between 12 fairy cake cases (approx. 1 generously heaped dessertspoon per case).
• Press 3 Mini Eggs into the centre of each case, pushing them down to help form the rice crispy mixture into a 'nest' shape.
• Drizzle each nest with melted chocolate, then set aside at room temperature to firm up for an hour or two before serving.
• The Mars Bar Rice Crispy Nests can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. I recommend storing them in their paper cases, because the Mars Bar mixture can be a little sticky.

Table of Contents

• Funfetti Socks
• Hosta Pillow
• Pig in Blanket Ornament
• Cat Ornament
• Stjärna Ornament
• Grace Blanket
• Cookie Boxes
• Final Thoughts

Funfetti Socks

Craft: Knitting

Pattern: I didn’t use a strict pattern for these, but you can find all of my notes on the sock-making process on their Ravelry project page. In essence, this is just a cabled design with a shadow wrap heel and a rounded toe!

Yarn: Drops Fabel, in the shade Confetti Cake (924).

This was actually my first time knitting a pair of socks for someone other than myself! Luckily, they were for my mum, who keeps extensive notes on her own knitting projects on her Ravelry page, so I was able to piece together a pattern/stitch count that fit her perfectly, without her suspecting a thing!

I bought this particular yarn a while ago, because I thought it was SO pretty, and I kept it aside to use for this project. I really love how it looks knitted up!

Hosta Pillow

Craft: Crochet

Pattern: Hosta Pillow by Sidsel Sangild

Yarn: Stylecraft Special 4 Ply, in the shade Teal (1062).

Many years ago, I knitted a cabled cushion (this one, to be exact) as a gift. Back then, my knitting tension was not the best (read: I didn’t tension my knitting at all— whole thing), so the cover ended up bigger than the cushion pad and I may or may not have had to fill in the extra space with toy stuffing… Anyway, this time around, I decided to stick to my strengths and make a crocheted cushion cover instead!

I really loved the design of this particular pattern and I have made crochet projects that use similar techniques before, so I decided to give it a go. It took me quite a bit longer to finish than I expected (it’s a little bit of an involved process), but I really like the finished product!

To ensure the cover is washable, I used an acrylic yarn and inserted a zip (by hand, with a good ol’ needle and thread). I used this 40cm, teal zip and, while it’s not an exact colour match, it is a similar shade to the ‘Teal’ Stylecraft shade. Speaking of the yarn… I was not a big fan, which was SO disappointing, because we all know how much I LOVE Special DK. Unfortunately I just found its 4 ply counterpart super splitty and annoying to work with, so I don’t think I’ll be using it again 🙁 …

Pig in Blanket Ornament

Craft: Crochet

Pattern: Pig In A Granny Square Blanket by A Good Right Hook

Yarn: Oddments of Stylecraft Special DK.

The first of three ornaments that I made this year (for gifting purposes), this Pig in Blanket pattern came up so often on my Pinterest that I really couldn’t escape how cute it was, or avoid making it. I particularly liked the colours used in the pattern, so I rummaged through my stash of Stylecraft Special DK to find some shades that were as similar as possible!

I was so happy with how this one turned out and it was so quick to whip up (I’ve made a lot of amigurumi in my time, so I’ve had lots of practice with projects like this). I did make a few little changes here and there to this pattern, mainly to adapt it so that I could use DK weight yarn for each element (the original pattern uses DK, 4 ply, 2 ply and thread). Unfortunately, I seem to have mislaid all the notes I took on the process! You can find all the details (that I can remember…) for the adaptations I made on the Ravelry project page I made for this lil’ pig.

Cat Ornament

Craft: Knitting

Pattern: Cat Christmas Ornaments by Amy Gaines

Yarn: Oddments of Stylecraft Special DK.

The second ornament and another pattern that I just happened to see one day and immediately fell in love with— I just think this cat is so cute! I also love how simple it is— like a little cat bean bag! I used DK weight yarn for this project, instead of the worsted the pattern calls for, so mine was a little smaller than it should have been but, honestly, I feel like it’s kind of the perfect bauble size as it is? I did have to shorten the length of the scarf because of this though, to ensure it fit the cat correctly. You can find the Ravelry project page for this ornament here.

Stjärna Ornament

Craft: Knitting

Pattern: Stjärna by Karolina Eckerdal

Yarn: Drops Merino Extra Fine, in the shade Off White (01).

I’ve actually already written a whole post about making these Stjärna Ornaments, as part of my Blogmas At Home 2024 series! I had to include it here too though, because one of the four ornaments I knitted was for a present. If you want to read more about my experience making this, you can go directly to that post here!

Grace Blanket

Craft: Crochet

Pattern: Grace Blanket by Anita Gibney

Yarn: Wendy Supreme DK, in the shades Cream (WD02), Duck Egg (WD28), Rose (WD09), Soft Peach (WD52) and Natural (WD17).

Another project that I’ve already written a post on, I made this Grace Blanket way back in the summer, while watching the Olympics. Since then, it’s been hiding out in the airing cupboard, waiting to be wrapped and stashed under the tree, buy it’s finally out in the open now and living its best, blanket-y life! If you’d like to read more about my experience making this blanket, you can find the original post here.

Cookie Boxes

Craft: Baking

Treats included:

• German Mandelhörnchen
• Austrian Vanillekipferl
• Mini gingerbread houses
• Peppermint bark
• Rocky Road bark
• Copycat Christmas Market Nuts

Finally, we come to the only edible presents I made this year: my (kind of) cookie boxes. I dream of establishing a tradition where I make a ridiculous amount of cookies, box them up and deliver them to friends and family during Advent (social media and Hallmark films seem to have brainwashed me into obsessing over this particular American custom, and now I can’t get it out of my head…). This wasn’t quite that, but I like to think of it as a little stepping stone into that world.

My ‘cookie boxes’ this year, then, were a mix of cookies and non-cookie-but-still-very-festive treats. My German Mandelhörnchen were such a hit last year that I just had to make them again (and they were just as good as I remember!). I also branched out a little bit with another recipe from Anja Dunk’s festive cookbook, ‘Advent’: Vanillekipferl, which are these little, vanilla-almond crescent cookies. I did like these and I’m excited to play around with them a bit more next year, but the Mandelhörnchen are still my favourite Christmas cookies at the moment. The final cookie entry was a tiny gingerbread house, made using Mima Sinclair’s Light Gingerbread Dough recipe and some tiny gingerbread house cutters from Søstrene Grene (one of my favourite purchases of this festive season).

After that came the non-cookie confectionery, of which there were three types this year: my classic Peppermint Bark and Copycat Christmas Market Nuts (both well-established, festive traditions in my household now), as well as a new addition: Rocky Road Bark. This was a special request from my soon-to-be sister-in-law, which I made using a 50:50 blend of milk and dark chocolate, along with crumbled digestive biscuits, mini marshmallows and raisins.

To package up the cookie boxes, I used these craft paper treat boxes. I lined each box with baking paper, then arrange the cookies inside. Naturally, I ran out of room, so I had to put btoh the barks and the nuts into little treat bags alongside the box, instead. I planned to do this for the peppermint bark anyway, because I didn’t want the peppermint flavour to spread to all of the other treats, so I wasn’t too disappointed. After that, I just closed up the boxes, tied them up with twine and added a little gift tag, to explain all of the treats inside.

Final Thoughts

And that is everything I made to give to my friends and family over the holiday season! It’s not as much as I’ve done in the past (I really love making handmade gifts), but Christmas always seems to sneak up on me, no matter how early I try to start preparing, so I was still pretty impressed with my creative output this year!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas & New Year, and that you’re ready for lots more creative, crafty fun in 2025!

Gemma

xxx

Today’s post is the final instalment in my 2023 gift guide series- one for bullet journallers and one for knitters/crocheters are both on the blog already. Today, we’re all about that bake, with a selection of gifts for all the home bakers in your life. As with the other two gift guides, I’ve tried to find a variety of gifts at a range of different price points, so hopefully there is something for everyone, on any budget. I’ve organised the gifts by price, to help you navigate your way through the list. I’ve included photos of the products that I own, but not for products that are just on my wishlist, for copyright reasons.

A quick disclaimer: 

This post contains no sponsored items, affiliate links or items otherwise gifted from brands. I'm just a small town blogger (at the moment)! Everything listed is something I have either purchased for myself/received as a gift from a family member/friend, or is on my personal wishlist. All comments are my own personal opinions.

All prices listed are correct at time of writing, but please be aware that they may change over time. 

Table of Contents

• Gifts under £15
• Gifts under £20
• Gifts under £30
• Gifts under £40

Gifts under £15

The Great British Bake Off Silicone + Offset Spatula Duo – £6.92.

I use offset spatulas for EVERYTHING: icing big cakes, icing cupcakes, spreading out chocolate etc. This duo pack is great, because it also includes my fave shape of silicone spatula, which makes it SO easy for weak bakers like me to scrape down the sides of a bowl successfully!

Hotec Silicone Spatula Set – £9.35 for 5.

If you don’t fancy the duo pack above, but still like the idea of gifting silicone spatulas, this pack is great because it contains multiple shapes/sizes, so your recipient will always have the perfect spatula for the job.

YellRin Dual-ended Magnetic Measuring Spoons – £13.99 for 6.

Dual-ended measuring spoons are absolute game-changers. You can measure out something liquid, like oil or milk, with one end, then use the other end for dry ingredients, like baking powder or spices, without having to wash out the spoon in between. Also, the fact that these ones are magnetic makes storing them (and finding them later on!) so much easier.

Gifts under £20

Helect Infrared Thermometer – £15.99.

I love to use this thermometer when I’m tempering chocolate. Because it uses an infrared beam, you don’t have to touch the chocolate with it at all, which makes for an easier clean up later. Chocolate can get so messy, so this is a real win!

Wilton Golden Decorating Tip Set – £17.99 for 7 piping tips, 1 coupler and 8 disposable piping bags.

Okay, okay, this is a bit fanciful, but these are definitely on my wishlist. I don’t know what it is that makes the gold piping tips seem so much more fun, but it’s just how it is. There’s also a really great variety of nozzles here, so it’s the perfect gift for a beginner who’s just starting out on their piping journey (or, apparently, a baking magpie, like myself).

The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook – £18.19.

This is one of my favourite cookbooks (I SWEAR by the brownie recipe and, trust me, I’ve tried a LOT of them). The Hummingbird Bakery has a few cookbooks, but this was the first one, so it contains some of their most iconic recipes.

Lakeland 12 Hole Mini Sandwich Tin – £19.99

I know this tin seems a bit frivolous, but it actually has so many different uses- I’ve had it for a good long time now and I’m still finding new ways of baking with it! There’s the standard mini sandwich cakes, but you could also make mini cheesecakes/layered desserts, individual brownies- I’ve even made homemade pork pies in it! I love it.

Gifts under £30

The Crumbs & Doilies Recipe Book – £20.00.

A relatively newer cookbook (it’s just turned 1 year old!), but Cupcake Jemma on YouTube is my go-to for delicious cake recipes and fun/unusual inspiration and this cookbook is the same- loads of cool and surprising new ideas, with clear instructions and gorgeous pictures.

Colour Mill Pastel Colouring Set – £27.45 for a pack of 6 colours.

I’ve recently started using Colour Mill food colourings in my baking and, honestly, it’s been life-changing. These oil-based dyes are great for colouring cake batters, icings and chocolate (just don’t use them for largely fatless bakes, like macarons, because they’ll affect the bake) and they have such a huge range of colours. They have lots of different gift sets, but I particularly love the colours in this pastel pack.

Crumbs & Doilies Caramel Cornflake Brownie Baking Kit – £27.95 (with tin included), or £19.95 (without tin).

Another offering from Crumbs & Doilies, but this time it’s the gift of a whole bake in one- in this kit, you get everything you need to make a batch of their delicious Caramel Cornflake Brownies! I’ve made these from scratch before and, honestly, I still dream about them. I’ve always been a little sniffy about baking kits/box mixes, but these ones are elite. Crumbs & Doilies is a pretty popular company these days, but it has a definite small business vibe and the quality/care put into these kits really shines through!

Gifts under £40

Wilton Deluxe Piping Tip Set – £33.49 for 22 piping tips, 1 coupler and 1 flower nail.

If you’re looking for something a bit more comprehensive (and less stylised) than the gold piping tip set, Wilton offers larger nozzle sets that come with storage containers, to keep everything neat and together. There are a variety of sets available, so you can pick one based on your price point, but this 22-tip set has a great variety of nozzle options and comes with a coupler and flower nail, for even more creative possibilities!

Nordic Ware 6 Cup Swirl Bundt Tin – £35.70.

This is something that has been on my wishlist for SO long (literally since 2015 when the Simply Nigella Christmas Special aired and she made bundt cakes using this tin- I’ve been straight-up OBSESSED ever since). This particular tin was even recently used on Bake Off (yep, I recognised it immediately) and I just… urgh, I love it so much. It’s definitely on the pricier side, which is why I haven’t bought it for myself yet, but Nordic Ware is such a reliable, high-quality brand that the price point kind of makes sense.

And that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed my 2023 baking-themed gift guide! That’s a wrap on my 2023 gift guide series- tomorrow I’ll be back with a different (but still super festive!) post. See you then!

Gemma

xxx