5 from 3 votes

Butterscotch Haystack Cookies

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Haystack cookies made with creamy butterscotch chips and crunchy chow mein noodles are the perfect pairing for a no bake cookie done in minutes. Incredibly delicious, no bake cookies are an amazing time savor all holiday season long and so easy for kids to help in the kitchen.

But don’t think these are just for a Christmas menu! Haystacks are for any time of the year and perfect for any get together that needs a salty sweet crunchy treat. 

Haystack cookies on parchment paper already cooled down and ready to eat

Butterscotch Haystack Cookies

This 2 ingredient 5 minute(ish) cookie is surprisingly amazing.

No time is needed at all, just heat, mix and freeze for almost instant joy in a cookie that the entire family will love. Super kid friendly, these holiday haystacks are rich with sugary goodness. 

In fact, this recipe is so easy that I really do not have much to say about it! Expect more haystack cookie ideas and how to mix this recipe up for a whole plate of no bake desserts soon. 

No Bake Haystack Cookies

You do not need many ingredients for this recipe.

You can find the butterscotch chips (generic is fine!) in the baking aisle and the can of chow mein in your stores international or Asian cuisine aisle. They do have bags of chow mein noodles as well and if you are planning on making tons of haystacks, you may want to grab the bag and more chips. 

  • 2 cups Butterscotch Chips (11 0z bag)
  • 1 can of Chow Mein Noodles ( 5 oz)

Fun Additions to your haystack cookies

  • coconut – Turn your haystack cookies into a delicious no bake coconut cookie by adding some coconut flakes to your melted chips
  • peanuts – Butterscotch and peanuts go so well in this treat. Just break down your nuts into tiny pieces and sprinkle on top for a little crunch. 
  • m&ms – Haystack cookies do super well as an Easter cookie and often the M&M peanut eggs are added as a “nest”, but during Christmas, red and green M&Ms make a great addition 

butterscotch baking chips and chow mein noodles in a can

 

Butterscotch Haystack Cookie Recipe

Prep – Add parchment paper to a baking sheet

Melting down Butterscotch – while no bake cookies and treats are super fun and super kid friendly, any time you are melting down baking chips of any time there can be some frustration. The key to having a positive experience is PATIENCE. Your butterscotch is added to a microwave safe bowl and heated for 20 seconds at a time.

Pull out, stir, 20 seconds back in, until completely melted. Be careful, the chips (and bowl) can get quite hot.

DO NOT OVERHEAT or you will end up with a hard mess. My butterscotch chips took about 1 minute 30 seconds to fully melt down. 

melted butterscotch chips being stirred with a wooden spoon in a bowl

Create Your Cookies – Now dump your chow mein can into the butterscotch chips and stir until completely incorporated together.

This is a thick mixture so you may need a spoon to dig down and get all the chow mein noddles covered. 

mixed up chow mein noodles with butterscotch chips melted

Set – Use a 1 tablespoon scoop (or 2 spoons) to carefully lift out the haystacks and add in little stacks on your parchment paper.

Depending on how big you make your cookies, you can get 14-18 haystacks out of each one. Once done, you can add bits of nuts, candy, or sprinkles before they set. 

1 tablespoon of butterscotch haystack cookies being put onto parchment paper

Cool Completely – To quickly harden the butterscotch, put your baking sheet into the refrigerator or freezer. It takes approx 5 minutes to harden to touch in freezer or 6-8 minutes in fridge.

I prefer freezer to initially set cookies.

butterscotch haystack cookies already firmed and ready to eat being held

Storage – Once completely hardened, store in a gallon size zip lock container or air tight Tupperware. Because these cookies are so easy to make and set wonderfully, they also make a great cookie to bring to office parties, classrooms, and to send home with people as gifts.

Is butterscotch chocolate?

Nope! Butterscotch’s ingredients are brown sugar and butter. 

Instead of using chow mein noodles, try this recipe with variations: 

  • potato sticks
  • pretzel sticks
  • corn flakes  – cornflakes in haystack cookies are often used with green melting chocolates to create a holiday Christmas wreath!

5 from 3 votes

Haystack Cookies


Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Haystack Cookies, made with chow mein noodles and butterscotch chips, are a true no bake cookie that takes minutes to make, set and eat! Haystacks are perfect to make with kids because they are so easy and are amazingly delicious to eat. Do not forget to customize your cookie with sprinkles!

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups Butterscotch Chips 11 0z bag
  • 1 can of Chow Mein Noodles
  • Parchment paper

Instructions

  • Prep - Add parchment paper to a baking sheet
  • Melting down Butterscotch - while no bake cookies and treats are super fun and super kid friendly, any time you are melting down baking chips of any time there can be some frustration. The key to having a positive experience is PATIENCE. Your butterscotch is added to a microwave safe bowl and heated for 20 seconds at a time. Pull out, stir, 20 seconds back in, until completely melted. Be careful, the chips (and bowl) can get quite hot.
  • DO NOT OVERHEAT or you will end up with a hard mess. My butterscotch chips took about 1 minute 30 seconds to fully melt down. 
  • Create Your Cookies - Now dump your chow mein can into the butterscotch chips and stir until completely incorporated together. This is a thick mixture so you may need a spoon to dig down and get all the chow mein noddles covered. 
  • Set - Use a 1 tablespoon scoop (or 2 spoons) to carefully lift out the haystacks and add in little stacks on your parchment paper. Depending on how big you make your cookies, you can get 14-18 haystacks out of each one. Once done, you can add bits of nuts, candy, or sprinkles before they set. 
  • Cool Completely - To quickly harden the butterscotch, put your baking sheet into the refrigerator or freezer. It takes approx 5 minutes to harden to touch in freezer or 6-8 minutes in fridge. I prefer freezer to initially set cookies 
  • Storage - Once completely hardened, store in a gallon size zip lock container or air tight Tupperware. Because these cookies are so easy to make and set wonderfully, they also make a great cookie to bring to office parties, classrooms, and to send home with people as gifts.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 60mg | Sugar: 14g

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

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5 from 3 votes
Haystack cookies with butterscotch and chow mein noodles is a delicious no bake treat done in 15 minutes or less. #haystacks #haystackcookies #nobake #nobakedessert #christmascookies #holidaycookies

5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Patty Seawright says:

    Do you lower the power on your microwave? My butterscotch burns.

    1. No, I have never lowered the power but it is true that different microwaves operate at different levels. If yours doenst have a lower setting, I would suggest trying “defrost” versus like a regular high setting. That tends to cook at a lower rate. Then just try the 15 seconds at a time and stir.

  2. What size can of chow mein noodles do you use?

    1. At my store we have only ever had the small can. Is there a large one?

  3. I like them better with mini marshmallows.

  4. My grandkids loved them! When serving in warm weather I would use less peanut butter.