Quick Haystack Recipe Butterscotch Recipe

We’ve got the best haystack recipe butterscotch recipe for you. And the best part? It’s super easy (and delicious)!

This family friendly haystack recipe with butterscotch recipe calls for crispy chow mein noodles and a creamy sweet coating like melted chocolate or butterscotch. They’re called haystacks because the little pile of chow mein noodles resembles a stack of hay. The coating hardens, keeping everything in place, and these sweet treats can be enjoyed like a chow mein noodle cookie.

Another thing to love: This is an easy haystack recipe with butterscotch for beginners. So it’s fun to include the kids in making it!

This quick haystack recipe (butterscotch recipe) is great for when your kiddo surprises you by bringing friends home unexpectedly. Because it requires just four shelf-stable ingredients you can keep on hand: Crispy, crunchy, chow mein noodles and salted peanut coated with creamy smooth peanut butter, and melted butterscotch chips.

Oh, and did I mention it takes just 10 minutes to prepare? Yeah, this can be your go-to panic dessert.

Decadent (tastes much fancier than it is!). Crunchy. Sweet. Just slightly salty. In other words, irresistible. It checks all the boxes. What’s not to love?

A simple haystack recipe butterscotch meal is the perfect sweet and salty bite.

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This no-bake dessert could not be more simple to make and takes only 10 minutes and a microwave to prepare.

The crunchy salty chow mein noodles and the smooth sweet butterscotch are a perfect match!

An easy last minute dessert to make for parties, picnics, birthdays, slumber parties, and even holiday meals (think a sweet treat for the kids to enjoy while they watch holiday movies while curled up on the couch).

• You need just four simple ingredients.
• No need to even turn on the oven!
• Perfect for beginners.
• Kids love helping mix everything together. And older kids and teens can even make this themselves. You just need to make sure the ingredients are always in your pantry!

Try my Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Almond Macaroons!

What Are Butterscotch Haystacks

Butterscotch haystacks are made from crispy chow mein noodles and a creamy sweet coating like melted chocolate or butterscotch. They are called haystacks because the little pile of chow mein noodles resembles a stack of hay. The coating hardens keeping everything in place and these sweet treats can be enjoyed like a chow mein noodle cookie.

No Bake Haystacks Ingredients

This easy dessert has only 4 common ingredients!

• Butterscotch chips
• Smooth Peanut butter
• Salted peanuts
• Chow mein noodles

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

If you need to make substitutions, that’s no biggie at all. You can even make a healthy haystack recipe butterscotch version with some of the substitutions I’ve added below:

• Butterscotch chips: The sweet, buttery base of the recipe. The butterscotch is what makes haystacks so decadent! But if you aren’t a butterscotch fan, you could swap them out for milk chocolate chips (or just about any meltable chips in the bakery aisle). Semi-sweet chips or white chocolate chips also work well.
• Smooth peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is the “glue” that helps the melted butterscotch coat all of the other ingredients. But you can use crunchy peanut butter if you want some extra texture and crunch. If someone in your home has nut allergies, sunflower seed butter is a great swap. Also, feel free to go with low-sodium peanut butter, or natural peanut butter. 
• Chow mein noodles: These are the key! You want the crispy crunchy canned noodles. This is where the “haystack” look comes from, and also some delightful crunchy texture and saltiness. Pretzel sticks work, too. Also great with crunchy wonton strips. 
• Salted peanuts: Another layer of salty and crunchy to balance out all the sweetness. You could leave them out for a nut-free version (if you also swap the peanut butter). Or natural peanut butter. 

How to Make It

Step 1:

Put the butterscotch chips and peanut butter into a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat for between 45-60 seconds at a time. Between each interval, give them a good stir until they’re smooth and melted. 

Step 2:

Gently stir in your peanuts and chow mein noodles.

Step 3:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (wax paper). Use a large spoon to drop the mixture onto the baking sheet. Be sure to stack them up so they look like tiny haystacks.

Step 3:

Allow it to cool and completely harden before you remove them. Use a spatula to gently lift them off the pan. 

Variations to Try

Haystacks come in many forms and there are lots of ways to add variety to these crunchy little treats. Homemade haystack recipe butterscotch ideas:

• Easter themed haystacks: For Easter try forming each haystack into a little nest filled with candy eggs like mini eggs for a fun holiday dessert.

• Chocolate haystacks: This recipe is often made with semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips instead of butterscotch chips for a rich melt-in-your-mouth dessert.

• Extra nutty haystacks: Adding a variety of different nuts to this recipe like pecans, cashews, walnuts, or almonds will add a flavorful nutty crunch to each haystack.

Tips for Making Haystacks

• Line the baking sheet with parchment or wax paper for easy cleanup and removal. Do not use aluminum foil, it will stick and tear leaving little bits of aluminum on each haystack.
• Take your time mixing in the ingredients to make sure the chow mein noodles and peanuts are well coated in the melted butterscotch and peanut butter.
• Lightly brush the spoon with oil or cooking spray to make the mixture easier to scoop.
• Melt the butterscotch and peanut butter slowly in the microwave to prevent scorching. Heat on 45-60 second intervals stirring in between each one.

Leftovers and Storage

Haystacks are a great make ahead dessert. Once hardened these treats can be stored at room temperature for a few days, until the chow mein noodles start to become stale. Or you can put them in the fridge, for about a week.

Want to make them in advance? We’re down for that! Prepared haystacks can be placed in a freezer bag and stored frozen for up to 1 month. Be sure to put layers of parchment paper between them, so they don’t stick to each other. Thaw at room temperature until soft enough to eat. They’ll be thawed and ready to enjoy in about 15-20 minutes.

Try my Butterscotch Drops!

FAQs

Notes

I have a fun story for how I discovered how to make haystacks. I had a can of chow mein noodles in the back of the cabinet and wasn’t sure what to do with them. I didn’t have the rest of the ingredients to make chow mein. So I searched the internet for recipe ideas and stumbled upon butterscotch haystacks. The rest is delicious and happy history!