UPDATE: This recipe is not working out well for some people, so perhaps I just got lucky when I made these several years ago. While I still love the idea, you may want to follow a different recipe or test these out well in advance. I always thought one had to be Jacques Torres to make gorgeous spun sugar, but turns out I was wrong! Any home baker can do this. Spun sugar nests make the prettiest Easter cupcake toppers. You can make the nests early and keep them in the freezer, but top cakes and cupcakes just before serving, as moisture can make them soften. These bird’s nest cupcakes are perfect for Easter and Spring, but would be cute for a baby shower too. 
fill nests with a mini chocolate bunny

or chocolate eggs 
even the most discriminating of princesses will thank you
 
sugar, corn syrup, and water cooked until amber 
 
and drizzled around a mini muffin pan 
 
cupcake jewelry
 

Simple Spun Sugar Nests 
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart *I used half this recipe and it made enough for 24+ nests 
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  1. Cover the work space with parchment paper and the floor with newspaper. Prepare an ice-water bath.
  2. Place the sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Raise heat to high, and bring mixture to a boil. Continue cooking until the temperature registers 310 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer. *YM note: I do not have a candy thermometer and just cooked it until amber in color. Remove from heat, and briefly plunge the saucepan into ice water to stop the cooking. Let stand to thicken slightly, about 1 minute. Use immediately.

    3. To make nests, spray the back of a mini muffin pan generously with cooking spray. Dip a fork into the sugar and drizzle around each muffin cup in a circular motion.  Let harden completely. Nests should easily come off cups.