Want a crowd-pleasing cookie that has just five ingredients and doesn’t even require turning on the oven? Say hello to the haystack cookie! Grab the kiddos and let’s get cooking: You’ll have a big batch of haystacks in under an hour.

What are haystacks made of?

Haystacks are no-bake cookies that consist of fried chow mein noodles and peanuts coated in a mixture of melted peanut butter and butterscotch chips. The chow mein noodles give the cookie Pocky stick vibes, while the peanuts give body to the overall flavor and add textural contrast. The result is a crunchy, salty-sweet cookie that will be snatched up faster than you can say “haystacks.”

Not a fan of butterscotch? You can substitute any type of chocolate chip — milk, dark, or white. Also, if you can’t find roasted and salted peanuts, feel free to swap in cocktail peanuts or Spanish peanuts, or use unsalted and add more salt to the cookies to taste.

What’s the best peanut butter for haystacks?

This recipe will only work with store-bought creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, which contain emulsifiers that help the peanut butter melt into the right consistency. Natural peanut butters, like Smuckers Natural or anything freshly ground, will seize and harden.

How long do haystacks last?

Haystacks can be refrigerated for up to one week, or frozen for up to six months. But trust me: They will not last this long. I once shared some at a party and they were the first thing to go.

Haystacks

Makes 36 haystacks

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