Butterscotch Haystacks Recipe - These no bake cookies filled with crunchy noodles, peanuts, butterscotch and peanut butter morsels, only minutes to make. Topped with a pinch of salt these bites become the perfect salty-sweet treat!

Crispy butterscotch haystack candy on a plate. A hang is holding a piece of candy. — Easy to make these treats will be a big hit with your family!

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What makes this recipe irresistible
Butterscotch haystacks video
Ingredients you'll need
No Bake Butterscotch Haystack Cookies Recipe
Step-by-step instructions
Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
Top Tip
More no-bake cookie and candy recipes
Wrapping it up

What makes this recipe irresistible

This old-fashioned cookie is a delicious treat. It's an easy recipe and simple to make and they are fantastic for a cookie exchange or cookies for Santa!

Butterscotch haystacks video

Hey friend, don't miss the YouTube video for the Butterscotch Haystack Recipe! I'll guide you step-by-step through this amazing recipe.

Ingredients you'll need

Ingredients to make the homemade candy recipe. With print overlay for clarification.

For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

A platter filled with crunchy homemade candy.

5 from 10 votes

No Bake Butterscotch Haystack Cookies Recipe

Crunchy chow mein noodles, peanuts and butterscotch and peanut butter morsels transform into Butterscotch Haystacks! These treats take only minutes to make. Topped with a pinch of salt they become the perfect salty-sweet treat!

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Prep Time0

Cook Time5

Refrigerate for 30 minutes until set.30

Total Time35

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 123kcal

Author: Deb Clark

Cost: $9

Ingredients

▢ 5 oz. can chow mein noodles crunchy dried noodles
▢ 1 cup peanuts salted
▢ 11 oz. bag butterscotch chips
▢ 10 oz. bag peanut butter chips
▢ 1 tablespoon canola oil can substitute corn or olive oil
▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt optional

Instructions

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Use a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add the butterscotch, peanut butter chips and canola oil to the pan. Stir often until the candies are melted and the mixture is smooth and silky - about five minutes.
Stir in the peanuts and carefully fold in the chow mein noodles.
Drop by small spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Smaller treats are better than big ones, they are super rich!
If you're adding the salt, sprinkle now while they are still sticky.*
Refrigerate until firm. Package into small ziplock bags and refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy them.

Notes

* The pinch of sea salt on top is optional. I like with salt because it helps balance the sweetness, Dan prefers them without. Both are delicious!

Variations for this treat!

You can substitute 2 cups crushed pretzels or corn flakes for the chow mein noodles.
These freeze great! Package them individually and freeze for up to a month.
Swap out the chow mein noodles for pretzels or cornflakes.
Replace the peanut butter or butterscotch morsels with white chocolate or dark chocolate chips!
Change it up and add mini marshmallows or coconut flakes.
Sprinkles can make them festive for any occasion!

Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container. They will keep for several days. You can refrigerate them for up to a week, but they are super hard and crunchy. I prefer to keep them on the countertop at room temperature.

They can be frozen up to three months. These are great make-ahead treats for the holidays or a cookie exchange.

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Nutrition

Step-by-step instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions check the recipe card.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)

Why are my butterscotch chips not melting?

Butterscotch, peanut butter, even chocolate chips are made with stabilizers. They hold their shape until they are stirred. When you're melting the chips continue to stir them until it's smooth and silky.

How else can you melt chocolate or butterscotch?

Double boilers use the steam from the hot water in the bottom pot to heat the top pot. Be sure the boiling water doesn't touch the pot on top or it will scorch the candy!

How do you thin out butterscotch chips?

As mentioned above, the chips melt from the inside out. Continue stirring the entire time you're melting the chips. This will allow them to get smooth and silky and avoid scorching.

How do you fix seized butterscotch?

Butterscotch will seize when a small amount of moisture has gotten into the mixture. Adding hot liquid back into the mixture will return it to a fluid state. Read more about fixing it here.

Having said this - I've tried this method and was not successful. Perhaps I wasn't patient enough?

Crunchy butterscotch haystacks on a cookie sheet.

Top Tip

Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to portion out the cookies.

If you'd prefer you can microwave morsels at 30-second intervals to melt the chips. Be sure to stir at every 30 second break.

Crunchy butterscotch hay stack cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. — Easy to make Butterscotch Haystack Recipe is the perfect salty-sweet treat!

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Wrapping it up

And there you have it, sweet, crunchy, butterscotch-y goodness with a little twist! These haystacks come together in a snap and disappear just as fast. Give the recipe a try, then come back and tell me how many you didn't eat in one sitting (if any made it that far!).

Don't forget to leave a comment and rate the recipe-I love hearing from you!