No Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks

This recipe is unusual and unless you’ve tried something like it before you might not be able to imagine how it tastes. You only need 4 ingredients to make peanut butter haystacks, and those are butterscotch chips, peanut butter, salted peanuts, and… chow mein noodles!

Yes, you read that right. If you thought chow mein noodles were only good for making, well, chow mein, prepare to be surprised how good these peanut butter noodle haystacks come out.

These make a delicious sweet snack anytime or you could adapt the recipe for a special occasion. One clever tweak is to add a few chocolate mini eggs to each one, so they look like little bird nests. This would be amazing for Easter.

The textures of sweet, chewy and crunchy combine well and although you have to melt some ingredients there’s no cooking involved in these either. Noodles have a neutral flavor so they can be used to make both sweet and savory dishes.

Why You’ll Love the Recipe:

The first thing to strike you about this recipe is probably how unusual it is. After all, how many candy recipes have chow mein noodles as an ingredient! But noodles are just flour and flour features in many desserts, so apart from their crunchy texture they’re not as strange an ingredient as you might initially think. Oh, and they’re quick and easy to make.

How to Serve Them:

These little treats are great for any party or special occasion. You can mix and match the ingredients if you want to add other components or just use the peanuts and caramel. Either way, they’ll come out delicious.

Ingredients:

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

How to make No Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks:

Place the peanut butter and butterscotch chips into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until completely melted.

Place the chow mein noodles and peanuts in a large mixing bowl, and pour the mixture over them.

Stir to combine.

Quickly drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Allow the haystacks to cool and harden before serving.

If it’s an unusual snack you’re looking for, this recipe is perfect. It’s sweet and rich, flavored with peanuts and butterscotch, and also uses noodles as an ingredient. You’ll love the flavor as well as the crunch of these.

Can You Make Them Ahead?

You can, as long as you keep them in a sealed container.

Storage Instructions:

These will keep for up to a week in a sealed container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Variations and Substitutions:

You can always use your favorite type of crunchy cereal if you don’t want to use noodles. However, if you’re wondering whether raw noodles are safe to eat, the answer is two-fold. First of all, yes they’re perfectly safe to eat. And second, they aren’t raw, they’re cooked and then dried. So take your pick from cereal or noodles. Either will be tasty.