These quick and easy butterscotch haystacks look like cute little Easter nests! They’re a super simple 4-ingredient recipe that only takes a few minutes to make! It’s the perfect addition to any Easter menu!
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A few weeks ago I shared this yummy chocolate nest recipe and it went crazy on TikTok! But I had a number of people who mentioned making one with Chinese chow mein noodles, so I thought I’d try it out!
And honestly, I don’t know which one I like more! I’m a huge fan of chocolate but I’m also a big fan of chow mein noodles, so I’m going to say it’s a tie!
Some people call these no bake haystack cookies, but I just call them no-bake treats because they’re not really cookies in my head.
What they are is delicious. And super easy to make. And really cute, which when it comes to Easter recipes is important.
Plus, they only take 4-ingredients (plus your choice of eggs) so these peanut butter butterscotch haystacks are a winner all around.
Serve them up after you’re done with the glazed ham, strawberry fluff, and crescent rolls. Or serve them as a refreshment while you’re playing these Easter egg games!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No-bake – this is a great no-bake recipe so these can be ready to eat fast with just a little chilling time! Plus, they’re fun for kids to help out with since it’s a lot of stirring and topping with candy eggs!
- Great texture – when you’re craving something creamy and crunchy, these are the perfect option! The peanut butter butterscotch topping complements the crunch of the chow main noodles nicely!
- Great for a crowd – these are so easy to make a regular sized batch or a double or triple batch! The bulk of the recipe will take the same amount of time so it’s really just a matter of adding time scooping out the nests!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Peanut butter – these are best made with creamy peanut butter and ideally not the natural kind so you’re not dealing with all of the oils!
- Chocolate eggs – I used robin eggs in mine but you can also use Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey eggs, or really any candy coated chocolate eggs. You could even use Easter peanut M&Ms if you really wanted to!
- Butterscotch chips – these are called butterscotch chips at most grocery stores but sometimes they’re called butterscotch morsels. So if you can’t find chips, try searching for morsels instead!
How to make butterscotch haystacks
This is pretty much the easiest recipe ever, even easier than my chocolate nests!
To start, line two baking sheets with a piece of parchment paper. These are a no-bake recipe but the parchment paper makes the baking sheets a great no-stick place to let the haystacks cool!
Once that’s done, it’s time to start cooking! Melt the butter on the stove over low heat. You want it to melt slowly, just like if you were making these chocolate dipped rice krispie treats.
Once it’s melted, add in your butterscotch chips and stir them until they’re melted into the butter. Mix it well together so you have one creamy butterscotchy mixture. But don’t mix for too long or you’ll end up burning the butterscotch!
As soon as the chips are all melted in, remove the pot from heat and add in the peanut butter. Mix it until it’s well blended with the butterscotch mixture.
Pour all of your chow mein noodles into a large bowl – you want it to be large enough that the chow mein noodles only fill about half of the bowl so you have room to mix.
Then add all but about two tablespoons (you want to save that for a bit later) of the butterscotch mixture on top of the chow mein noodles. Stir until all of the chow mein noodles are coated and well mixed together.
Scoop about 1/4 cup mixture and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue scooping out 1/4 cup of the mixture until you have a bunch of little nests on the baking sheets.
I recommend spacing them about an inch apart so they don’t end up stuck together but if you’re short on space, it’s not that big of a deal to put them closer together. You’re not baking these so it’s not like they’re going to expand anywhere!
After you’ve scooped out all of your nests, it’s time to use that two tablespoons of the mixture you reserved earlier. Add just a tiny bit onto each nest and immediately after adding it, place three little chocolate eggs on top of the nest to complete the nests.
I like to lay the eggs down so it looks a little bit more like eggs in an actual nest but you can lay them down, stand them up, whatever you want.
Once all of your nests have eggs, it’s time to let these butterscotch haystacks chill so everything will stay together.
You can either leave them in a cool place or put them in the fridge to chill – or you can eat them right away, they may just fall apart as they’re going from baking sheet to your mouth.
Expert Tips
Store these butterscotch haystacks in the fridge for up to two weeks in an airtight container to keep the mixture solid. If you know you’ll be storing them for later, I recommend waiting to add on your chocolate eggs since those tend to get hard being in the fridge for that long.
Store at room temperature in a cool place if you don’t have room in the fridge. They are okay stored outside of the fridge, the butterscotch coating just tends to melt a bit in warm temperatures.
Double the batch for a crowd by simply doubling all of the ingredients! Just make sure to use a bigger pot and a bigger bowl but otherwise this recipe doubles incredibly well.
Recipe FAQs
What are haystacks made of?
Haystacks are made of chow mein noodles mixed with any number of ingredients. In the case of these butterscotch haystacks, they’re made with butter, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and chow mein noodles.
What’s the best way to melt butterscotch chips?
Butterscotch chips melt best on the stove compared to on the microwave since they tend to burn quickly. You can either add them to a pot and turn the temperature on low and allow them to heat up and melt that way, stirring regularly. Or you can use a double boiler and place the butterscotch chips in the double boiler to allow them to melt there without direct contact to the heat.
Do haystacks freeze well?
Butterscotch haystacks freeze great. Once they’re completely set, freeze individually on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Once they’re frozen, place them in a freezer safe zipper top bag and put in the freezer for up to three months.
More Easy Easter Recipes
- Oreo Easter Egg truffles – these 3-ingredient Oreo truffles are made in seconds and about as cute as they get!
- Chocolate Easter bark – three ingredient chocolate bark that combines graham crackers, chocolate, and all the Easter candy imaginable in one delicious dessert!
- Fluffy peanut butter eggs – these light and fluffy homemade peanut butter eggs can be made in just minutes!
- Oreo dirt cake – the easiest dirt and worms dessert ever, perfect for a spring holiday!
- Bunny cupcakes – light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with cute marshmallow bunny ears!
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Butterscotch Haystacks Nests
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 ¾ cups butterscotch chips
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 12 oz chow mein noodles
- 72 candy coated chocolate eggs
Instructions
- To start, line two baking sheets with a piece of parchment paper.
- Melt the butter on the stove over low heat.1/4 cup salted butter
- Once it’s melted, add in your butterscotch chips and stir them until they’re melted into the butter. Mix it well together so you have one creamy butterscotchy mixture.1 3/4 cups butterscotch chips
- As soon as the chips are all melted in, remove the pot from heat and add in the peanut butter. Mix it until it’s well blended with the butterscotch mixture.1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Pour all of your chow mein noodles into a large bowl. Then add all but about two tablespoons (you want to save that for a bit later) of the butterscotch mixture on top of the chow mein noodles. Stir until all of the chow mein noodles are coated and well mixed together.12 oz chow mein noodles
- Scoop about 1/4 cup mixture and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue scooping out 1/4 cup of the mixture until you have a bunch of little nests on the baking sheets.
- Add a little bit of the reserved butterscotch mixture to each nest then top with three eggs.72 candy coated chocolate eggs
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set then enjoy.
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