The Best No-Bake Haystack Cookies

4.80 from 20 votes

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This easy classic, crunchy haystack recipe has a combo of butterscotch and chocolate chips, PLUS peanut butter and crushed peanuts.

No-Bake Haystack Cookies on a red plate.

This is the most popular cookie recipe of all time on The Mom 100! I was so curious about haystack cookies for the longest time. No-bake cookies are genius, but the idea of chow mein noodles in them? Crazy. Haystacks are one of the quintessential no-bake cookies in the cookie lexicon, and for very good reason — they are delicious, so easy to make, and they offer up such great crunch.

No-bake haystacks are especially welcome during the holidays when the ovens are occupied with miscellaneous roasts and side dishes. And in a tin of assorted holiday or Christmas cookies, they have such a nice distinctive look with their spiky texture and chocolaty glaze. Also, try these Peppermint Bark Haystack Cookies and Chocolate, Peanut, and Pretzel No Bake Haystack Cookies! On a cookie plate, these are often the first to go. But don’t just stash this recipe away for the holidays; haystack cookies are excellent in the summertime when you don’t want to turn on the oven.

Red plate of No-Bake Haystack Cookies.

The Best No-Bake Haystack Cookies: These classic chocolately no-bake cookies are delicious, easy to make and they offer up such great crunch.

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What Are Haystack Cookies Made Of?

People who grew up with haystacks in their families often have a very specific version that they feel is the real haystack. In general, the ingredients are chow mein noodles, some kind of chocolate or other flavored meltable morsels, often peanut butter, and then some add-ins, such as peanuts, marshmallows, or pretzels. Sometimes, these are called chow mein cookies, or no-bake chow mein noodle cookies, or Chinese noodle cookies. This is a chocolate butterscotch haystack recipe, and it calls for a mix of chocolate and butterscotch chips.

As far as the chocolate goes, you can play around with the type of chocolate you use, from milk to semisweet to dark to…white?

Ingredients

Chow mein noodles, chocolate and butterscotch chips, and peanuts on marble surface.
  • Butterscotch chips – Add a complex sweetness that complements the chocolate and melts down beautifully.
  • Chocolate chips – You could also use an equivalent amount of chopped chocolate bars. But chips are the easiest!
  • Peanut butter – Crunchy peanut butter is great here. Adding little bits of peanuts amongst the crunchy noodles but smooth will also work — cocktail peanuts are also added, also you’re going to get that peanut crunch anyway.
  • Chow mein noodles – The noodles in this recipe are packaged, quick cooked, and dried, so they are light and crunchy.
  • Cocktail peanuts – Add to the crunch and the peanut flavor.
Plates of No-Bake Haystack Cookies on a table with greenery.

Variations

Haystack recipes are pretty flexible and a fun way to customize a cookie.

  • Try peanut butter chips instead of the butterscotch for even MORE peanutty flavor. (Have you seen the bag of chips that comes with mixed chocolate and peanut butter? Genius.)
  • You could also try these with all chocolate (chocolate haystacks!) or all butterscotch (butterscotch haystacks!) for a different flavor twist.
  • And you could also use crushed pretzels along with or instead of the cocktail peanuts. Coconut, mini marshmallows, other nuts, and various cereals are other possible add-ins.
No-Bake Haystack Cookies on parchment paper.

How to Make Haystack Cookies

  1. Melt: Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips in the microwave, a double boiler, or make an easy makeshift double boiler by placing a bowl in a pot with some water in it. Stir in the peanut butter until well combined.
  2. Combine: Combine the noodles and the cocktail peanuts in a large bowl. Pour the butterscotch-peanut butter mixture over and stir to combine.
  3. Form the cookies: Drop the mixture by tablespoons onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Allow to firm up (you can speed this up in the fridge if desired).
Plate of No-Bake Haystack Cookies on a white, wooden table.

Pro Cooking Tips

  • If the kitchen is warm, let the cookies firm up in the fridge. Let them sit at room temp for 5 to 10 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
  • This recipe makes about 24 cookies but is easily doubled.
  • If packing them in a box for gifting, separate the layers with parchment or wax paper.

FAQs

Are the noodles cooked in haystack cookies?

The chow mein noodles in haystack cookies are actually raw (meaning you don’t cook them before adding, though they were quick-cooked by the manufacturer). Using uncooked noodles makes these cookies super crunchy. The only cooked element of the cookies is the melted chocolate and butterscotch chips, which coat the raw noodles. I promise it won’t taste raw — the noodles are already pre-cooked. The cookies are simply sweet and super crunchy!

How do you crush peanuts for cookies?

To crush peanuts, place them in a sturdy zipper-top bag, press the air out of it, seal it, and whack it with a rolling pin, a mallet, or anything that is heavy and can stand to be thwacked against a bag of peanuts. Don’t crush them into a powder; you want some texture. You could also pulse them in a food processor, but the first way is more fun (and the kids will love it — encouraged thwacking? With a stick or a mallet?). This also works for pretzels if you want to add them, but you want to be a bit less zealous with the pounding.

Why are they called haystack cookies?

Because the little no-bake cookies like like spiky bales of hay!

How to Store Haystack Cookies

We definitely love the fact that these no-bake haystack cookies can be made ahead. Store these in an airtight container in the fridge or at cool room temperature for up to 10 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature before serving.

What to Serve With Haystack Cookies

No-Bake Haystack Cookies on a lined baking sheet.

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4.80 from 20 votes

The Best No-Bake Haystack Cookies

This easy classic, crunchy haystack recipe has a combo of butterscotch and chocolate chips, PLUS peanut butter and crushed peanuts.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 Cookies

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
  • 1 6-ounce package chow mein noodles (3 ½ cups)
  • 1 cup cocktail peanuts (unsalted or lightly salted, lightly crushed)

Instructions 

  • Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.
  • Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. (If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one by nestling a metal or heatproof glass bowl over a pot with a bit of water in the bottom — bring the water to a boil, and stir the chips frequently until they melt). If using the microwave, heat for 30 seconds, then stop and give the chips a stir, and stop and stir every 15 seconds until they are melted. Stir in the peanut butter until well combined.
  • Combine the noodles and the cocktail peanuts in a large bowl. Pour the butterscotch-peanut butter mixture over and stir to combine.
  • Drop the mixture by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to set; in warmer months or when the kitchen is warm, this is best done in the fridge. Do let them sit at room temperature for several minutes before serving.

Notes

  • If the kitchen is warm, let the cookies firm up in the fridge. Let them sit at room temp for 5 to 10 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
  • This recipe makes about 24 cookies but is easily doubled.
  • If packing them in a box for gifting, separate the layers with parchment or wax paper.
Variations
Haystack recipes are pretty flexible and a fun way to customize a cookie.
  • Try peanut butter chips instead of the butterscotch for even MORE peanutty flavor. (Have you seen the bag of chips that comes mixed, chocolate and peanut butter? Genius.)
  • You could also try these with all chocolate (chocolate haystacks!) or all butterscotch (butterscotch haystacks!) for a different flavor twist.
  • And you could also use crushed pretzels along with or instead of the cocktail peanuts. Coconut, mini marshmallows, other nuts, and various cereals are other possible add-ins.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 252mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 11IU, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 2mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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34 Comments

  1. Interesting! I’ve never heard of them with chow mein noodles. In my region they are made with shredded coconut and oats. I’ll have to try this variation sometime.

    1. My recipe was stolen. So I am looking up one and this is the first google tossed out. Mine also uses coconut (shredded) and no nuts and more peanut butter. It basically makes fudge at first then adds peanut butter and oats, quick oats, and you drop cookies onto wax paper. I have not made fattening things except for brownies for so long that I do not remember the measurements though. Thanks for the reminder!

    2. I have powdered oars now and I might like that better than the whole oats I have always used before to spare the jaws the chewing . For those with dental issues.

  2. I hide them after I make them and darn it the kids always find them…the kids are 57,34,32 and 30
    Daughter and the Grandkids. They are really good and easy to make.
    Ursula R.

  3. I had recollections of eating these as a kid so I really wanted to love these but no go. My adult kids didn’t care for them either. Might be the type of chow mein noodles we have available but they were hard to drop on the cookie sheet, noodles were too hard to eat. Too messy all around. Good idea though.