Last Updated on February 25, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster
This Easter Dessert Recipe has been sponsored by Global Influence with products supplied by Hershey’s.
Homemade pudding tarts are a simple Easter dessert you can make for your family. Simple tart shells are filled with pudding, topped with toasted coconut and decorated with egg shaped candy. An easy Easter dessert recipe everyone will enjoy.
Table of Contents
Making Easter special for kids
When I was growing up, there were certain Easter traditions that were very important to me even as a child. Buying a pretty new Easter dress for church and slipping on those shiny white dress shoes made it obvious that Easter was not your average day at church. Easter baskets were filled with candy that we almost NEVER got to eat.
Yes, we probably ate more jelly beans and chocolate eggs than we should have at 6 AM on Easter morning but hey, Easter was a special occasion! A special breakfast of hot cross buns rounded out our Easter morning. I actually made homemade hot cross buns last week because I decided there was no reason I shouldn’t be able to enjoy them all year round!
One thing that my mom did NOT make was a special Easter dessert recipe. When I was asked to work with HERSHEY’S on their #BunnyTrail campaign I decided I needed to try my hand at creating a unique Easter dessert that my whole family would love!
Using Easter Candy in Desserts
As a kid, one of my favorite candies was Rolos. I don’t know why but the combination of chocolate and caramel is still one of my favorites even as an adult. Don’t get me wrong…I haven’t met very many types of candy that I DON’T like but since I don’t eat it very often I try to grab my favorites on the rare occasions that I indulge! Melting Rolos is an incredibly easy way to get chocolate caramel for drizzling on desserts!
Create Easter Traditions for your family
As a mom, I try to create Easter traditions that my children will remember for the rest of their lives. They still talk about the time when the Easter bunny left footprints all over the house when they were little.
Yes…I actually invested in a bunny footprint maker that used baby powder and ‘hopped’ all over the living room to leave footprints that my children would find on Easter morning. Crazy? Yes! But, memorable! Now that they are teens (and sadly no longer believe in the mythical bunny!) the easiest way to make Easter memorable is with a basket of delicious chocolate treats! Check out Women’s Day Magazine for the most popular Easter candies but ours are shown below.
Getting creative with Easter desserts
When I was trying to come up with an Easter dessert recipe I browsed through a lot of online recipe sites. I came across a lot of ‘birds nest’ type cookies and cupcakes but I thought maybe a tart would be something a little different.
To create a ‘birds nest’ on just about any type of dessert, all you need is a bit of toasted coconut and some egg shaped candies. You can use the HERSHEY’S chocolate covered almonds or the little chocolate ‘eggs’ with a candy shell. Assemble to create a decorative and tasty birds nest on top of your favorite dessert recipe.
How to make birds nest tarts
For this tart, I chose to make homemade vanilla pudding as a filling. If you are not into making your own pudding you can certainly use the instant kind you get from the grocery store.
Like this easy Easter dessert recipe? Try these Easter ideas, too:
- Fun Easter traditions from Around the World: Here are a few Easter traditions you may want to consider adding into your family!
- How to Make Easter Fun for Kids: It puts a smile on their faces to see the same plastic Easter eggs and the same hot crossed buns on Easter morning. If you are wondering how to make Easter fun for kids, here are a few of the things we do in my house.
- How to Blow Out an Egg for Decorating: There are some seriously fun Easter memories to be made by blowing out eggs! Here are a few things we have learned through trial and error over the years.
Making homemade pudding is incredibly easy and WAY more tasty than the instant stuff so I definitely recommend you give it a try. I did not, however, make my own tart shells. Rolling out tiny tart shells would probably send me over into crazy town! I bought premade tart shells in the freezer section at the grocery store and baked according to package directions. If you are feeling ambitious you can certainly try making your own.
Birds Nest Pudding Tarts are Easy Easter Dessert Recipe
Most of this birds next pudding tarts recipe can be made up ahead of time. Bake the tart shells, chill the pudding, toast the coconut and let cool. Right before serving just melt the Rolos and assemble your Easter dessert recipe! This recipe makes enough for about 16 homemade tarts but you can scale it down if you want.
Birds Nest Pudding Tarts
Birds nest pudding tarts are an easy Easter dessert that that whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 4 cups vanilla pudding (I made homemade but you can use boxed)
- 16 tart shells
- 1 package of Rolos
- 2 TBSP heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
- egg shaped candies like HERSHEY'S Chocolate covered almond or
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place shredded coconut on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Place in oven and toast for approximately 10 minutes, mixing frequently to prevent burning and allow for even browning. Remove and let cool
- If making homemade pudding, make sure it is completely set before using. Instant pudding will set up within 30 minutes. Plan accordingly and make according to package directions.
- Bake tart shells according to package directions and let cool
- Peel Rolos and put in small pan over medium heat with 2 TBSP heavy whipping cream. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
- To assemble tart: Take one cooled tart shell. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the melted Rolos into the bottom and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining tarts.
- Next, spoon about 1/4 cup of vanilla pudding into each tart shell.
- Top the pudding layer with a small pile of toasted coconut shaped into a 'nest'
- Add chocolate coated nuts or other egg shaped candies into the coconut nest.
- Drizzle the creation with additional melted Rolos if desired
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Only fill tart shells with pudding as you are about to eat them. They will get soggy if left to sit.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 571Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 85gFiber: 3gSugar: 54gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information not always accurate
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