Chocolate Haystacks Recipe
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Growing up, we always had butterscotch haystacks throughout the fall. They’d first appear at my Grandmother’s when we’d show up at her house as our first stop on our trick-or-treating trek Halloween and then Mama would make them through Thanksgiving before we switched to chocolate desserts and treats for Christmas.
The other afternoon, Little Buddy and I were in the kitchen making treats to take on a weekend trip and I just knew that haystacks would be the perfect no bake dessert to make together. And then I remembered he isn’t a huge fan of butterscotch so we quickly switched out chocolate chips for the butterscotch chips to make these oh so delicious chocolate haystacks.
I think from here on out, I’m halving the recipe when I make butterscotch haystacks to make half butterscotch and half chocolate. That way, my husband and I have the butterscotch haystacks of our childhood and my son has our new chocolate haystack version.
That’s a definite win-win, I think.
But as I bit into one of the haystacks before they’d even hardened (I couldn’t wait!), I just felt like they were missing something. So I added a pinch of sea salt to the tops of them as they finished cooling.
Absolute perfection!
Crunchy from the chow mein noodles, chocolatey from the, well, chocolate, nutty from the toasted almonds, and then that little touch of salt. Mercy!
Here’s the recipe for my haystack overhaul to these Chocolate Haystacks with sea salt.
Chocolate Haystacks Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces chocolate chips, your preference for milk, semi-sweet or dark
- 2 cups chow mein noodles
- 1 cup toasted nuts, your preference of almonds, peanuts, cashews, or pistachios
- sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate chips according to package instructions. Add chow mein noodles and nuts to the melted chocolate and carefully combine until noodles and nuts are well-coated with the chocolate.
- Heap teaspoons full of mixture and drop onto parchment paper and allow to cool. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- You may also place into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm more quickly, if desired.
- Serve or store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These treats are great to make with children and require adult supervision during the melting and handling of the hot chocolate.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
If I use semi-sweet morsels, should I use any sugar? Will they be bitter like semi-sweet?
I use semi-sweet sometimes, Linda, and I don’t add any sugar. I haven’t found them to be bitter but I suppose you could add some sugar if you wish.
I used chocolate chips and the melted chocolate mixture was too dry and gloppy so it was difficult to mix in the peanuts and noodles. Added 3 T. Almond milk and it was perfect!
Kathy, some chocolate chips have more cocoa butter than others so will melt better. Great idea to add the almond milk.
A family favorite! Every Christmas I make with grandkids. Fun and yummy! We use the Hershey’s S’mores milk chocolate chips.