Easter Bird's nest Cookies

Bird's Nest Cookies
makes two dozen

1 c. unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
2 c. sweetened shredded coconut
6 dozen candy-coated chocolate eggs

1. heat oven to 350; line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar.
2. in a large bowl, combine four, salt, and cocoa powder. add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix on low speed just until a stiff dough forms, about 2 minutes. transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. place the chocolate, heavy cream, and espresso powder in a medium heat-proof bowl. place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. remove bowl from heat, and set the chocolate ganache aside to cool, stirring occasionally
4. on a lightly foured surface, roll out chilled dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. using a 2 1/4 inch-round cookie cutter, cut out 24 cookies; place them on lined baking sheets. chill cookies until firm, about 20 minutes.
5. bake cookies until set, about 14 minutes. transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. ((( for colored coconut, combine a few drops of food coloring with 3 Tbsp. water in a medium bowl. stir in coconut; mix until evenly colored. spread on an ungreased baking sheet; bake just until dry, about 12 minutes, being careful not to brown. let coconut cool; transfer to a small bowl. ))) optional!
7. when the ganache has cooled to room temp, whisk until it becomes stiff enought to pipe. transfer ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8 inch round tip, and pipe around perimeters of cookies. dip each cookie, ganache-side down, into plain or colored coconut. fill the "nests" with candy-coated chocolate egge, 2 or 3 eggs per nest. store cookies in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 3 days.