Chocolate, Peanut, and Pretzel No-Bake Haystack Cookies
on Dec 01, 2018, Updated Dec 10, 2024
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This no-bake chocolate haystack cookie recipe gets extra crunch from peanuts and pretzels.
In between making the kinds of cookies that get rolled, baked, and decorated, we should all find time for a batch of pretzel haystack cookies, also known as chocolate pretzel peanut clusters.
Haystacks are one of the quintessential no-bake cookies in the cookie lexicon, and for very good reason — they are delicious, they are easy, and they offer up such great crunch. Chow mein noodles! Seriously? Seriously. And in this recipe, also pretzels! And peanuts! If you wanted to use all super thin crushed pretzel pieces (from those little boxes of pretzel sticks, pretzels labeled pretzel thins, or just thin pretzels) instead of the chow mein noodles, you could do that! Use a combo of salted and unsalted if you go that route to prevent the clusters from becoming too salty.
These clusters would be right at home amidst any platter of holiday cookies. A clever cook might bring them to a cookie swap and leave with a selection of more labor-extensive treats in exchange for some of these ridiculously simple but highly addictive cookies.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Semisweet chocolate chips – This chocolate haystack recipe stars semisweet chocolate chips, but you could try these with milk chocolate chips for a gentler chocolate flavor.
- Peanut butter – Gets blended in with the melted chocolate to bind together the noodles.
- Chow mein noodles – Gives the haystack cookies their signature haystack appearance and crunchy texture.
- Pretzels – You could also use lightly crushed cocktail peanuts instead of the pretzels for an equally salty, crunchy addition.
How to Make Chocolate, Pretzel, and Peanut Clusters
- Melt the chocolate: Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. Once melted, stir in the peanut butter.
- Combine: Mix in the noodles and the pretzels or peanuts.
- Shape: Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet. Chill the clusters in the fridge or at room temperature to set.
If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one by placing a metal or heat-proof glass bowl over a pot with a bit of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, and stir the chips frequently until they melt. See how to melt chocolate in a double boiler.
Kitchen Smarts
To crush pretzels, place them in a sturdy zip-top bag, press the air out of it, and give it a few smacks with your fist or mallet. Don’t crush them into powder; you want some pieces and texture.
Storage
Store pretzel clusters in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before eating.
More Holiday Treats
More No-Bake Cookie Recipes
- Peppermint Bark Haystack Cookies
- No-Bake Haystack Cookies
- S’Mores Haystack Cookies
- No-Bake Buckeye Balls
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Chocolate Pretzel Clusters
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
- 1 (5- to 6-ounce) package chow mein noodles (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup lightly crushed pretzels
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.
- Melt the semisweet chocolate chips in a heavy pot or a double boiler over low heat, stirring frequently, or melt in the microwave on medium power, stopping the microwave and giving the chips a stir every 15 seconds until they are melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until well combined.
- Add the noodles and the pretzels to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
- Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to set (in warmer months, this is best done in the fridge). Let them sit at room temperature for several minutes before serving.
I stepped it up a notch and added sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut, peanuts, and sliced almonds….all partial bags I had sitting in my cupboard. Can’t wait to try them!
Can you freeze them??
I haven’t done that but I think that should be fine!
Quick and easy. Made these for a New Years day luncheon I am going to. Used quality chocolate chips and added pecans. They are so yummy.
Hi! Can I eliminate the noodles all together and just use pretzels and peanuts?
Thank you
I’ve never tried it! It depends on the pretzels probably – if you use the stick kind they might hold together better. Will you let me know??
I couldn’t use peanut butter and had to use butter. The chocolate did not get very smooth no matter how much I tried.
Hi there! Unfortunately you can’t substitute butter for peanut butter. If you can’t have peanuts, you could use sunflower butter, but regular dairy butter won’t work. Not sure what happened with the chocolate – sounds like maybe a bit of water got into it, which can make it seize up as it’s melting.