Old-fashioned haystack cookies never go out of style. With just four ingredients these easy no-bake cookies are creamy, crispy, and sweet with just a hint of saltiness. Just what you need when you don’t want to turn on the oven. The winning combination of white chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter coat crispy chow mein noodles. They’re a classic!
Give Butterscotch Haystack Cookies a Try
Four ingredient butterscotch haystacks are fast and easy to make and always a huge hit. You only need a bowl and a microwave – no oven, stove, or special equipment required. It’s an easy treat for the kiddos to make – no hot pans or knives and they can create their own fun stacks.
Like Rice Krispie bars, or chex cereal bars, these no bake treats are an excellent choice for a quick and easy dessert for game day, a potluck or party since they’re super fast to make and are always a crowd-pleaser. No cooking skills needed and great to have on hand around the holiday season.
White chocolate instead of the traditional semi-sweet chocolate blends perfectly with the butterscotch and peanut butter. It adds an even creamier texture to this haystack cookies recipe. If you’re a white chocolate fan, you might also like white chocolate bark or white chocolate Chex mix, two fan favorites.
What is a haystack cookie?
These sweet treats are made of crunchy chow mein noodles coated in a mixture of melted white chocolate, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter. They’re called haystack cookies because they look like little haystacks once they’re formed.
I don’t think they stack hay like they did when Claude Monet painted the haystacks near his home, I’m not a country girl, but I think they roll it now.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter for haystack cookies?
Peanut butter is the special ingredient that gives these cookies flavor but also keeps the chocolate from completely hardening. Smooth peanut butter is best since it will make the right ratio of peanut butter to chocolate and noodles. For some extra crunch, you can always add some whole or chopped peanuts to the mixture.
Why You’ll Want to Make Cookies with Chow Mein Noodles
- EASY – only dirty one bowl and all you need is a microwave
- Four Ingredients
- No Bake
- They’re a classic for a good reason!
What are chow mein noodles?
Chow mein noodles are crispy fried noodles that you can find in the Asian or international section of most grocery stores. They are served as a topping for soup so using them in cookies might sound bizarre, but they’re crunchy, a little salty, and very tasty in this recipe.
Haystack Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- Chow mein noodles: Any brand of crispy chow mein noodles will work in this recipe, you can find them in cans or bags in the Asian or International aisle in the grocery store.
- White chocolate chips: These sweet morsels add creaminess and a vanilla flavor to the cookies. You can also use dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate if you prefer, but I need to tell you, my favorite is definitely with white chocolate chips.
- Butterscotch chips: The butterscotch chips provide a rich, caramel-like taste that complements the sweetness of white chocolate. While there are a lot of variations on haystack cookies, they all have butterscotch chips which had a distinct flavor.
- Smooth creamy peanut butter: Peanut butter adds flavor but is also essential for giving the haystack cookies the right texture. Peanut butter is unique and doesn’t have a good alternative in this recipe.
Easy Directions for Crunchy, Creamy Haystack Cookies
Step 1: Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
This recipe is so simple, all the hard work gets done in the microwave. Start by microwaving your white chocolate and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Just heat them in the microwave in 30-second bursts, at 50% power so the white chocolate doesn’t seize.
Make sure you stir every time the microwave beeps! It’s really important, because the inside of the chocolate chips will begin to melt, and when you stir, you let that melted chocolate out!
Continue until the chocolate and butterscotch are fully melted and smooth. Add in the peanut butter and microwave one more time, then give everything a really good stir.
Step 2: Stir in the noodles.
Add the chow mein noodles and stir gently to fully coat the noodles in the chocolate mixture.
Step 3: Shape the cookies and cool.
Using a spoon, stack the noodles into piles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the cookies cool and harden, then once they’re fully set, you’re ready to enjoy! I’ve tried using a cookie scoop, but it doesn’t work very well.
Variations to the Classic Haystack
- Peanut butter haystacks – replace the butterscotch morsels for peanut butter chips
- Chocolate haystacks – use semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips instead of white chocolate
- Crunchy haystacks – add peanuts for an even crunchier treat
- Christmas cookies – add some holiday sprinkles
Tips for Making Haystack Cookies
- Microwave the chocolate and butterscotch chips on 50% power.
- When combining the chow mein noodles with the melted mixture, fold them gently to avoid breaking the noodles.
- You can make larger or smaller cookies by adjusting the amount of the mixture you spoon onto the cookie sheet.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and set up before you enjoy them. You can refrigerate or freeze to speed up the process.
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Four Ingredient Haystack Cookies with White Chocolate
Ingredients
- 11 ounces white chocolate chips
- 11 ounces butterscotch chips
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 12 ounces chow mein noodles
Instructions
- Add white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to a large microwave bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 2 ½ minutes stirring every 30 seconds until it is smooth.
- Add peanut butter and microwave for 30 more seconds on 50% power. Stir until it is combined then add the chow mein noodles folding them in until they are completely coated.
- Use a large spoon to scoop a stack of the noodles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let sit for 1-2 hours until set or refrigerate if you’re in a hurry.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Make sure you microwave on 50% power so the white chocolate doesn’t seize.
- You can make larger or smaller cookies by adjusting the amount of the mixture you spoon onto the cookie sheet.
- If you are in a hurry you can place them in the freezer to cool.
Nutrition
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