Chinese Cookies

These retro no-bake clusters are one of the fastest sweet fixes in the cookie world. Crunchy chow mein noodles stand in for the usual flour and butter, giving each haystack-shaped cluster a dense tangle of texture under a soft butterscotch-peanut butter coating. Mini marshmallows tossed through stay intact, so every bite has a chewy pocket between the crunch.

The whole project happens in one saucepan and one bowl. Melting butterscotch chips with peanut butter builds a thick coating that clings to the noodles instead of sliding off, and dropping teaspoon mounds onto wax paper is the entire shaping step.

Kitchen Tips

• Melt the butterscotch and peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Butterscotch chips scorch fast and turn grainy if the heat climbs.
• Work quickly once the coating hits the noodles. It stiffens as it cools and becomes hard to scoop into neat clusters.
• Use fresh crunchy chow mein noodles. Stale ones soften once coated and lose the signature crunch.
• Refrigerate 15 minutes to set, then store in a tin at room temperature. Cold storage dulls the butterscotch flavor.

Variations

• Swap butterscotch chips for white chocolate or milk chocolate chips.
• Stir in a cup of salted peanuts for extra crunch and saltiness.
• Add a splash of vanilla or almond extract off the heat for a more dessert-leaning flavor.