Crunchy White Chocolate Haystacks

Why This Recipe Works

These cookies, named for their telltale shape, are simply a combination of crunchy chow mein noodles, salted dry-roasted peanuts, and melted baking chips. We added vegetable oil—just 2 teaspoons—to the mix to create a thinner coating so it was easier to cover every inch of the noodles, and so the haystacks dried with an appealing sheen. We simply melted the chips in the microwave, stirred in the oil, folded in the noodles and nuts, and then portioned it onto a baking sheet—that's it. After that, all we needed to do was let the haystacks chill in the refrigerator until the mounds of noodles were set. The result of this super-easy recipe is a salty-sweet treat with an irresistible crunchy texture. Although butterscotch haystacks are classic, we've come up with three equally delicious variations: chocolate, peanut butter, and white chocolate. They're so good and so simple, you could make them all in the same hour.