Homemade Noodles Bird’s Nest

by Stella Dias
(Sri Lanka)

Ingredients:
1 cup dry spaghetti noodles (or similar thin noodles)
3 tablespoons molasses or maple syrup
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup yellow candies (like M&M’s or mini chocolate eggs)

Directions:
Break the Noodles:
Break the dry noodles into small pieces (about 1–2 inches long). This is fun for kids to help with!

Toast the Noodles:
Place the broken noodles in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir them constantly with a wooden spoon for about 2–3 minutes until they turn golden brown. Turn off the heat and let them cool a bit.

Make the Syrup:
In a small pot, mix together the molasses (or syrup), sugar, and cinnamon. Heat over medium-low until it starts to bubble gently (about 2 minutes). Stir carefully.

Mix it All Together:
Carefully pour the hot syrup over the toasted noodles. Stir until all the noodles are coated.

Form the Nests:
Grease 4 muffin cups or small bowls with butter. Scoop about 4 tablespoons of the noodle mixture into each. Press the mixture down and shape it like a little nest. (Let kids press the middle with a spoon.)

Cool and Decorate:
Let the nests cool for about 15 minutes. Then pop them out of the cups and place 3 yellow candies in the center of each nest.