Fall is in the air. The hay is getting picked up off the fields for the last time this year. And you’re eating your favorite easy no-bake butterscotch haystack cookies. Life couldn’t be any better!
As a matter of fact, as I sit here writing, my stepkids are getting ready to start fall break and it smells like butterscotch and cinnamon in my house. I am 100% ready for autumn and loving life.
Because I. LOVE. AUTUMN.
Actually, I’m almost 100% of this stereotype:
And a big thanks to Trey Kennedy for my second favorite thing…a good pun!
So if you’re ready to kick off the season of “leaves, lattes, and leggings”, grab this 2 ingredient recipe, put 10 minutes aside, and get ready to enjoy.
How to make Butterscotch Haystacks
This is one of the easiest recipes in the world to make. There is very little to the ‘steps’ other than gathering your ingredients and mixing.
But, because I’m compulsive about keeping my recipes looking somewhat similar (they all have steps), here we go.
Put ingredients in the bowls
Ok, that sounds like a pretty basic step. And it is. There are just a few things to keep in mind that I can cover here.
You’ll want a bowl big enough for the noodles that you can stir without scattering them all over the counter. And whatever dish you put the butterscotch in needs to be microwave safe.
Melt the butterscotch
You’ll need to be careful here. It’s relatively easy to over-cook the butterscotch in the microwave.
If you do that, you basically need to start over. The chips dry out and won’t mix well. They also won’t hold the cookies together.
Start them at 45 seconds on high. Each microwave is a little different, so watch them closely.
After 45 seconds, take them out and stir them. If they aren’t melted, put them in for additional 15-second increments, stirring each time.
It should not take more than 75 seconds total. If there are still little chunks but it is mostly melted, that is fine. Just stir it for a few more seconds.
Mix together
This is, strangely, the hardest part. It doesn’t take much muscle, but sometimes little pockets of butterscotch like to hide in the noodles.
Don’t worry about crunching some of them down. Actually, you won’t be able to avoid it.
Crunch away and stir them as good as you can!
A good plastic spatula is very handy in this part. And you’ll want to do it as quickly as you can. If the butterscotch starts to harden up it’s more challenging.
Lay out to dry
Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, place small ‘piles’ of mixture onto parchment paper to cool.
If you make them over-sized they are difficult to eat so try to keep them small.
Also, if you’re struggling to get them scooped up, pop the whole bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds. Just a little re-warm can make your life so much easier!
Let them dry until the butterscotch has re-hardened.
You can plate them or eat them at this point.
Customization Options
There is so much you could do with this recipe, if you feel like it.
Personally, I don’t like peanut butter or chocolate in them because I think they’re rich enough without those extra ingredients. However, if you’re in the mood you could always
-Stir a 1/2 cup of peanut butter and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the mixture.
Or – stir 1/2 cup of peanuts into the mixture. The extra texture can be nice.
Or – sprinkle the top with sprinkles. This is more for the kid’s sake than any particular extra taste appeal.
Dietary Considerations
If you’re eating this treat, you’re going to have to pretend they’re healthy. Not that they’re the worst cookie in the world, nutrition-wise. But they certainly aren’t compliant to any restricted diet I know of.
We’ll just call them autumn comfort cookies at their best!
Serve and enjoy!
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I remember eating these as a kid! Thanks for the recipe. My kids will love these.
Oh, I hope they do! I love when it’s seasonal cookie time 🙂