Fun, easy and utterly delicious triple-layer Easter brownies with a fudgy brownie base, Cadbury Cream Egg and marshmallow middle-layer, and a chocolatey Shredded Wheat and Mini Egg Easter nest topping. Prepped and baked in 40 minutes, ready to be devoured by adults and children alike.
I'm not sure about you, but for me, once March arrives, my mind goes straight to Easter baking. If you're a fan of Mini Eggs (and let's face it, who isn't?), you should try my Mini Egg Cookies and Mini Egg Cookie Dough Bars. Or for another easy chocolatey treat try my Mini Chocolate Fondant Cakes.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 3 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- 3 layers of Easter awesomeness - a fudgy brownie base underneath a gooey Cadbury Cream Egg and marshmallow mid-layer topped with chocolatey shredded wheat and Cadbury Mini Eggs.
- Prepped and baked in just 40 minutes - proving that a triple-layer bake does not have to be complex or time-consuming.
- A great make-ahead treat - store in an airtight container for up to 5 days and freeze for up to 3 months.
🛒 Ingredients and variations:
- Chocolate - I use half milk and half 70% dark. All milk would be too sickly and I find all dark isn't sweet enough.
- Cadbury Mini Eggs - these are pushed into the Shredded Wheat nest topping. You could use another brand of shelled chocolate egg here or even a different type of chocolate egg.
- Cadbury Cream Eggs - I find the full-sized ones give the best chocolate-to-cream ratio. I avoid the mini-Cream Eggs when making this recipe as it results in a middle layer of solid chocolate, and you can't really taste the cream.
- Marshmallows - fill the gaps between the Cream Eggs and add sweet spongey texture to the middle layer. You can use any plain marshmallows, both mini and large are good. If you use the large ones you will have to tear them into pieces to fill the smaller gaps.
- Shredded Wheat - this is combined with chocolate, unsalted butter and golden syrup to form the nest topping. You could substitute Shredded Wheat for Rice Crispies or Cornflakes if you prefer.
🧑🍳 Triple-layer Easter Brownies in 4 easy steps
1. Brownie base
Grease a baking dish and line with greaseproof paper and set the oven to 180°C or 350°F. I use a 21cm/8in x 15cm/6in x 4.5cm/2in baking dish to make this recipe.
Place the chocolate and butter into a bowl and melt in the microwave or over a saucepan of simmering water. You will need a Pyrex bowl if you are using the saucepan method.
Mix the beaten egg, sugar and vanilla essence into the chocolate mix. Then stir in the flour. Pour the brownie mixture into the baking dish and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is set.
Top tip: Use a toothpick (or similar implement) to check the doneness. The toothpick should have a few moist crumbs on it after it is inserted into the baked brownie base. If you see smooth wet mixture on the toothpick the brownie base will need longer in the oven.
2. Shredded Wheat nest topping
Make the Shredded Wheat topping while the brownie base is baking. Simply melt the remaining chocolate, butter and golden syrup in the microwave or in a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir in the crushed Shredded Wheat when the liquid ingredients have fully melted.
3. Cream Egg and marshmallow mid-layer
Cut the Cream Eggs in half vertically and place them on top of the brownie base. You may want to press them in slightly, but don't push them the whole way into the brownie base. The Cream Eggs and marshmallows should form a mid-layer rather than be part of the base layer.
Place the marshmallows into the gaps between the Cream Eggs. You might need to tear them into smaller pieces to fill the smaller spaces.
Put the baking dish back into the oven for 5 more minutes until the marshmallows and cream eggs have melted and merged.
4. Add the shredded wheat and Mini Egg topping and cool
Spoon the Shredded Wheat topping onto the melted mid-layer and press in the Mini Eggs. Leave to set and enjoy.
👍 Top tips for perfect triple-layer Easter brownies
- Check the doneness of the brownie base - you can use a toothpick or cake tester to check if the brownie base is cooked. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs on it you're good to go, but if the toothpick has wet mixture on it the brownie base needs longer in the oven.
- Melt the chocolate - butter and golden syrup together when you make the topping - if you melt the chocolate first and then add the butter and golden syrup the mixture may curdle.
- Use normal-sized Cadbury Cream Eggs - these provide a good cream-to-chocolate ratio. I tried the recipe with the mini-Cream Eggs and found I couldn't really taste the cream and the middle layer was more like solid chocolate.
🙋 FAQs
Cadbury Mini Eggs start appearing in stores in January and are available until Easter. It's likely you'll be able to get hold of them up to a month after Easter, but then they'll disappear. A little disappointing, but I find their seasonal availability and relative scarcity makes them even yummier.
You can buy mini eggs in the United States but they are made by Hershey. You should be able to find them in most stores.
I've only made this recipe with Shredded Wheat but I am sure other cereal types would turn out well as long as you keep the volume the same. You should aim for the cereal to be the main player in the topping with an even but thin covering of chocolate.
📦 Storage
The baked brownies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. There is no need to keep them in the fridge unless you want to. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Put parchment paper in between to ensure they do not stick together. Defrost in the refrigerator.
😋 Check out my other easy baking recipes
If you enjoyed these triple-layer Easter brownies you should check out my other sweet treats. If you're looking for another Easter bake, try my Cadbury Mini Egg Cookie Bars.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Mini Egg Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie mixture:
- 70 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter + additional for greasing
- 35 g (¼ cups) milk chocolate broken into small squares
- 35 g (¼ cup) dark chocolate broken into small squares
- 1 egg beaten
- 60 g (½ cups) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 35 g (¼ cup) plain flour (all-purpose)
Nest topping:
- 75 g (½ cups) milk chocolate broken into small squares
- 75 g (½ cup) dark chocolate broken into small squares
- 50 g (1 ¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 40 g (2 tablespoon) golden syrup
- 2-3 Shredded Wheat crushed. based on a weight of 45g or 1.5oz for two pieces
Other fillings:
- 3-4 Cadbury cream eggs
- 100 g (1 ⅓ cups) marshmallows
- 20 Cadbury mini eggs
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 180°C or 350°F and grease a 20cm baking dish with butter and line it with greaseproof paper. (note 1)
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or in a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Mix in the beaten egg, sugar and vanilla essence. Then stir in the flour.
- Pour into the baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes in the middle of your oven until the top is set.
- Make the Shredded Wheat nest topping while the brownie base bakes. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in the microwave or in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water.
- Stir the crushed Shredded Wheat into the melted topping ingredients.
- Remove the brownie base from the oven and check its doneness with a toothpick or similar implement. (note 2)
- Add the Cream Eggs to the top of the brownie base and fill the space between them with marshmallows. Break the marshmallows into pieces to fill the smaller gaps if necessary.
- Return the baking dish to the oven for 5 more minutes until the Cream Eggs and marshmallows are melted and merged.
- Spoon the Easter nest topping mixture onto the top of the melted mid-layer.
- Press the Mini Eggs into the Easter nest topping and leave the brownie to cool.
- Chop into squares and enjoy when the Easter brownie has set.
Notes
- Grease the baking dish thoroughly with butter if you do not have greaseproof paper.
- Brownies are done when the toothpick (or similar) comes out with a few moist crumbs. If you see any wet mixture on the toothpick the brownie base needs longer.
Unbelievable! I won’t just be saving these as an Easter bake that’s for sure! Yummy, simple and easy washing up too! Total win!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Nikki! Really happy to hear that you enjoyed the Easter brownies.
Such an easy and delicious treat to make for my kids today. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for commenting, Amy, so glad you and your family liked them!
These brownies are fantastic! What a nice idea for Easter, they are perfect. I am definitely making them. My family will love them for Easter. Thanks so much!!
Thank you, Jenny, I hope you and your family enjoy them!
Oh wow! These are perfect fort Easter! So cute! Can’t wait to try this super fudgy brownie recipe.
Thank you, Amy, hope you like them!
I have saved this for Easter! Looks so good and I know my girls and I are going to have a lot of fun making this mini egg brownies.
Thanks for commenting, Kate, hope you and your girls enjoy making and eating the brownies!
Such a delicious Brownie recipe. Perfect for Easter. Looks chocolaty ,cute and innovative idea too.
Thank you! Hope you like them!
Oh, my goodness, there brownies are just the cutest! I love the idea of using shredded wheat for the nest. These will be the perfect Easter dessert!
Thank you Amanda, I used to love making chocolate Easter nests as a child so was keen to incorporate it into my Easter baking this year.
These brownies are making me drool! This recipe of yours looks absolutely mouthwatering!
Thank you, hope you enjoy them!
My two favorite things combined into one! I love cadbury eggs so to pair this with a brownie is genius! Delicious and so cute!
Thank you, Jamie, I love Cadbury Easter chocolate too. There don't seem to be many recipes that incorporate Cream Eggs and Mini Eggs so I decided to create one this year.
What a delicious treat for the Easter celebration. I'm so making this for my family. Looks really delicious, full of chocolate with a fun egg surprise. Love this!
Thanks Natalie, hope you and your family enjoy them!