Chow Mein Nest Clusters
Peanut butter, dark chocolate, and crunchy noodles pressed into cold, packable clusters.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 2.1 oz
- cal / oz
- 152
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Dessert
- No cook
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Peanut butter | 1/2 cup | smooth or crunchy, both work |
|---|---|---|
| Dark chocolate | 6 oz | chopped, or chips |
| Crispy chow mein noodles | 3 cups | the fried kind, not dry ramen |
| Mini chocolate eggs | 1/2 cup | or any small candy-shelled chocolate |
Method
- At home, melt the peanut butter and chocolate together in a bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts and stir between each one, or use a pot set over a pan of simmering water.
- Tip in the noodles and fold slowly. Rough stirring snaps them and you lose the crunch.
- Spoon the mixture into muffin cups. Press a dent into the middle of each with the back of the spoon.
- Chill 30 minutes, then press a few candy eggs into each dent.
- Chill another hour until they are solid all the way through. Lift them out of the pan before packing.
This is a candy bar you build in your own kitchen, and the reason it travels is fat. Chocolate and peanut butter set into a solid binder at room temperature, so the noodles stay locked in place instead of rattling loose in the bag. No baking, no water, no stove.
Chow mein noodles are already fried, which is why they hold their crunch under a chocolate coating. Dry ramen goes soft and chalky. The mini eggs are decoration and sugar; leave them out and you have the same snack, just plainer. The whole batch is made at home and carried ready to eat, which is the point.
Packing
Chill hard, then stack them in a rigid container with parchment between the layers. In a soft bag they turn into gravel. Above about 80F the chocolate softens, so keep them low in the pack and out of the sun.
Variations
- Swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter to make it nut-free.
- Toasted coconut or crushed pretzels in place of half the noodles changes the texture without changing the method.
https://zenandhoney.com/birds-nest-cookies