No-Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks

When you think about those crispy chow mein noodles, what dishes come to mind? Well, if you’re look about 99% of people, your answer will be chow mein of course! But these noodles are more versatile than that. Since they have a neutral flavor as well as an appealing crunch, they’re great in sweet recipes too.

So, if you have some noodles lurking in the pantry or kitchen cupboard and you don’t want to make Chinese food, read on and find out what else you can do with them.

The following easy dessert recipe combines these crispy noodles with butterscotch chips, peanut butter and salted peanuts (although you can leave those out if you prefer) to make peanut butter haystacks. These fun little treats don’t require any baking and they’re sweet, nutty and delicious.

Crispy chow mein noodles are made of flour and they’re cooked and dried, rather than raw, making them perfectly safe to consume in recipes like this one.

Why You’ll Love the Recipe:

No-bake dessert recipes are always worth knowing because you can make them quickly and easily. This one does require melting a couple of ingredients on the stove, but that’s all. These tasty little haystacks only call for 3 or 4 ingredients and everyone will love them.

How to Serve Them:

Enjoy these as they are. Another idea is to make them for easter, shaping each spoonful of noodle mixture into a bird’s next and adding a couple of chocolate mini eggs to each “nest” to make the cutest Easter treat you ever saw.

Ingredients:

• Creamy peanut butter
• Salted peanuts (optional)
• Crispy chow mein noodles
• Butterscotch chips

How to make No-Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks:

Melt the butterscotch chips along with the peanut butter in a pan on the stove.

Once smooth, remove it from the heat and stir in the noodles.

Also stir in the salted peanuts.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on to a wax paper lined baking tray.

Leave for half an hour or until set before serving.

These adorable little noodle haystacks are proof that noodles aren’t just for savory Asian recipes. They team up with peanuts, peanut butter and butterscotch chips in this recipe to make wonderfully crunchy sweet treats.

Can You Make Them Ahead?

Yes, you can make these in advance.

Storage Instructions:

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature or, if it’s hot, in the fridge. They should be good for up to a week.

Variations and Substitutions:

Swap the peanut butter for almond butter if you wish, and the peanuts for chopped almonds. You can sub toffee or caramel chips for the butterscotch chips. Or use crunchy rather than creamy nut butter.