OurNo-Bake Chow Mein Cookiesrecipe has been a family favorite for years! It’s a simple refrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients: crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanuts.
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Nearly 30 years ago, I was introduced to my grandmother-in-law’s No-Bake Chow Mein Cookies. Well, she actually called them “Chinese New Year Cookies”, but my family and Ialways preferred to call them “Chow Mein Cookies”, so that’s the name that always stuck with us.
During Christmastime, she would make a table full of holiday treats. After our holiday dinner with her, she would create a plate of goodies for us to take home. The Chow Mein Cookies were always one of the first to go.
I loved that tradition, so after a few years into our marriage, we started the tradition of making lots of holiday treats too. I usually picked treats to make that were fairly easy or ones that were special to me, such as Chocolate Chip Cookies and Christmas Candy Cane Cookies. And these No-Bake Chow Mein Cookies have also been made every year.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Chow Mein Cookies are a simplerefrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients:
If you are unfamiliar with chow mein noodles, they are a crunchy, fried egg noodle sold in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Look for them in a bag like you see in our photo (your store may sell a different brand). You may also see chow mein noodles sold in a canister, but we recommend trying to find the bags as they are usually less expensive.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookiesdon’t have to be baked in an oven. As long as you have a microwave (or stovetop) and a refrigerator, you can make these.
First, line baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Be sure that the baking sheet you use will fit in your refrigerator. If you have limited space in your refrigerator, you can use a dinner plate or another smaller tray-like item.
Combine both the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Make sure that your bowl is large enough that it will hold all of your chow mein noodles, along with the chips and the peanuts. A bowl that holds at least 2.5 qtwill work.
You’ll start by melting the chips together in the microwave, stirring chips every30-45 seconds, until smooth. The key is that you want to stir the chips often.
Our preferred method for melting the chips is in the microwave, but if you prefer to melt the chips on your stove top, here are step-by-step instructions for doing that: How to Melt Chocolate on your Stove-Top
Once the chips are smooth and melted, you will begin folding in the chow mein noodles a little at a time until they are completely coated mixture. Then gently fold in the peanuts until they are completely coated.
Finally, drop chow mein mixture by the spoonful onto your prepared baking sheet. We do this by using two teaspoons, one to scoop up some of the mixture and the other spoon to help scrape the mixture off of the other spoon and onto the baking sheet. If any of the chow mein noodles or peanuts escape from your mound, just push it back to the chow mein mixture.
To help the Chow Mein Cookies set up, we have found through the years that placing them in the refrigerator is best. You may find that you don’t need to place them in the refrigerator, but this does speed up the process.
Once the Chow Mein Cookies have set, store them covered at room temperature.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookies Recipe
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OurNo-Bake Chow Mein Cookies recipe has been a family favorite for years! It’s a simple refrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients: crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanuts.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
Place both the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chips together in the microwave, stirring chips every30-45 seconds, until smooth.
Remove from microwave and begin folding in the chow mein noodles a little at a time until they are completely coated with the melted chip mixture. Fold in peanuts until they are completely coated.
Drop chow mein mixture by the spoonful onto prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator until Chow Mein Cookies havecompletely set.
Once Chow Mein Cookies have set, store covered at room temperature.
Notes
–We usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer
–The peanuts can be removed if you prefer. Or other salted nuts can be substituted.
Category:Cookies
Method:Microwave
Keywords: no bake, chocolate chips, peanuts, butterscotch chips, easy, christmas cookies, haystacks, new year cookies,
Haystack Cookies are a magical combination of butterscotch, peanut butter, chocolate, M&Ms, and marshmallow bits. It doesn't get much sweeter than this!! It all comes together with a secret ingredient that you likely wouldn't expect: noodles!
I could not find it at any of my regular places, so in its place I have used either dry ramen if you can find it (as long as you're hitting up Amazon for the soy sauce, grab a box of this ramen, too – affiliate link) and/or just regular spaghetti.
“Lo mein usually uses the fat, chewy noodles, while chow mein uses the thin type of noodles that sometimes contain egg.” Lo mein uses fresh noodles that are boiled for a few minutes, while chow mein uses dried noodles that are parboiled for five to six minutes. Then there's the difference in cooking method.
The cookies are made with peanut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oats, this no bake dessert recipe is full of all your favorite cookie flavors. You can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate! Seriously, the BEST combo!
Some claim cowboy cookies hail from Texas, a state many cowboys call home.Others say the treats were named for their ability to withstand long days in saddlebag.
What's in a Cowboy Cookie? A cowboy cookie is basically a souped-up oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips, roasted pecans, and sweetened flake coconut. Former First Lady Laura Bush's recipe included one tablespoon of cinnamon, a unique addition and not typically included.
Spaghetti noodles are not traditionally used in chow mein recipes, but you can use them as a substitute if you don't have chow mein noodles on hand. However, keep in mind that using spaghetti noodles may alter the flavor and texture of the dish.
It's important to note that pasta is always made with wheat, while noodles can be made from many different ingredients besides wheat, such as buckwheat, rice, beans, and quinoa. Once the dough is made, pasta undergoes an extruding process that creates varying shapes, whereas noodles go through a sheeting process.
You want to buy an egg noodle or pasta that's relatively thin and has some tooth. Some common names will be lo mein, chow mein, egg noodles or pancit noodles. Most markets have Japanese yaki soba noodles in the cold case, and those would work perfectly.
What Type of Noodles Are Used in Each Dish? Both lo mein and chow mein are made with Chinese egg noodles—wheat flour noodles with egg added. Fresh egg noodles (preferably about 1/4-inch thick) are best for lo mein, while either fresh or dried can be used to make chow mein.
Noodles: For the best results, use fresh egg noodles. If you're in a pinch, you can substitute virtually any other type of long noodle for your lo mein. Vegetables: Lo mein typically includes sturdier veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, sliced zucchini and carrots.
Why Didn't My No-Bake Cookies Set? Likely, you didn't boil the mixture long enough. You want the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa mixture to boil for 2-3 full minutes and reach between 190°F-200°F. If you don't boil them for long enough, they will turn out gooey and will not set.
Boiling too long will cause the cookies to be dry and crumbly. However, if you don't boil long enough the cookies will not set and will be runny. Some folks say bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then count to 60, while others swear by counting to 90.
Stir oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk sugar, milk, butter, and salt together in a saucepan; bring mixture to a boil, add vanilla, and remove from heat. Pour milk mixture over chocolate chips mixture; stir until well-combined.
What gives haystack cookies their signature crunch? Crunchy packaged chow mein noodles are the signature ingredient in haystack cookies that give them a crunchy texture and sweet and salty flavor.
Recipes for cookies are highly variable. Probably the most popular cookies in the United States are those that are based on a simple dough of flour, butter, sugar, and egg, to which a variety of flavouring and texturizing ingredients, such as chocolate chips, oatmeal, raisins, or peanut butter, may be added.
Introduction: My name is Kimberely Baumbach CPA, I am a gorgeous, bright, charming, encouraging, zealous, lively, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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