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No-bake haystack cookies start with white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips melted together in the microwave, then get a scoop of smooth peanut butter stirred in for depth. Crunchy chow mein noodles get folded in until every piece is coated, then the whole batch gets scooped into stacks on a parchment-lined sheet. No oven, no baking dish, just a bowl and a spoon. Let them set for 1 to 2 hours, or pop them in the fridge if you’re short on time.
Four Ingredients, No Oven, No Fuss.
Haystack cookies are proof that a treat doesn’t need a long ingredient list to be good. Four ingredients, about ten minutes, and no oven turn into a stack of crunchy, chocolatey, peanut buttery bites that everyone loves. White chocolate and butterscotch melt together in the microwave, peanut butter gets stirred in, and chow mein noodles get folded through until every piece is coated.
Let them sit until they set, and that’s it, no baking, no equipment, no waiting on the oven to preheat. This is the kind of recipe you can make with kids, in a hurry, or whenever you want something homemade without spending an afternoon in the kitchen.
A Recipe I’ve Been Making Since I Was a Kid.
I’ve been making these since I was a kid, they’re one of those old-fashioned candies that never really goes out of style. The recipe itself couldn’t be simpler, melt, stir, scoop, but adding white chocolate alongside the butterscotch gives them a richer flavor than the classic version, which usually uses butterscotch alone.
It’s the same white chocolate and peanut butter combination behind easy tiger butter swirled into sliceable squares, just built around noodles here instead of a chocolate swirl.
The peanut butter is doing more than adding flavor. Without it, the melted chips set up hard and brittle once they cool, the peanut butter keeps that from happening and gives the cookies a softer, more chewable bite instead. And the whole thing comes together with nothing but a bowl and a microwave, no mixer, no stovetop, no extra pans to wash. If you’re a fan of old-fashioned no-bake candy, Kentucky bourbon balls with bourbon-soaked pecans are another one that comes together without ever turning on the oven.
What I’d Tell You Before You Start
- Melt the chips at 50% power and stir every 30 seconds. Full power scorches white chocolate fast, and once it seizes there’s no saving it.
- Work quickly once the peanut butter is stirred in, the mixture starts to firm up as it cools, so fold in the noodles and start scooping right away.
- Use two spoons or a small cookie scoop so the stacks come out roughly the same size.
Just Four Ingredients
You’ll find exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Chow mein noodles. These are the crunchy, already-fried noodles sold in cans in the Asian foods aisle, not the noodles you’d boil for a stir-fry. That crunch is what gives haystack cookies their texture.
- Peanut butter. Use smooth, not crunchy, so it blends evenly into the melted chocolate instead of leaving lumps.
A Few Ways to Change Them Up
- Chocolate haystacks: Use semisweet or milk chocolate chips in place of the white chocolate for a classic chocolate version.
- Add more crunch: Stir in some chopped or whole peanuts if you want a little more texture.
- Dress them up for Christmas: Add a few holiday sprinkles on top before they set if you’re making these for a cookie tray.
Melt, Fold, and Spoon Into Stacks
Step One: Melt The Chips
Use 50% power: White chocolate can seize fast if it gets too hot.
Step Two: Stir In Peanut Butter
Step Three: Fold In The Noodles
Fold gently: Keeping the noodles fairly intact gives the cookies their best crunch.
Step Four: Spoon Onto The Pan
Step Five: Let Them Set
Need them faster: A short trip to the freezer will set them up quickly.
These haystack cookies are proof that you don’t need an oven, a mixer, or a long ingredient list to make something worth passing around the cookie tray. Melt, stir, scoop, and let them set, that’s the whole process, and it’s stayed exactly that simple since I first started making them. For more like it, our Southern classics collection has more of these old-fashioned, no-fuss treats.
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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.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- They’re set and ready when they’re firm to the touch and no longer shiny or wet looking in the center.
- Parchment paper works better than wax paper here, wax paper can stick to the candy as it cools and pulls off in pieces.
- Chow mein noodles are traditional, but pretzel sticks or rice krispies work as a swap if that’s what you have, just know it changes the classic haystack texture and crunch.
