No Bake Haystack Cookies
Nov 14, 2026
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These no-bake haystack cookies are crunchy little clusters of crispy chow mein noodles, melted white chocolate, and marshmallow bits. Finish them with a chocolate drizzle and rainbow sprinkles, then chill until firm. They’re ready in about 30 minutes!
Easy White Chocolate Haystack Cookies
I love a Christmas cookie that gives my oven the day off. These little haystacks get their name from the crispy chow mein noodles that stick out every which way. Toss them in melted white chocolate with tiny marshmallow bits, then scoop them into messy little mounds, and let them set! I like to make a batch with white chocolate and another with dark chocolate for the cookie tray, arranging them right next to my easy Christmas cake mix cookies and melted snowman cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Haystack Cookies
- Five ingredients and no oven. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stir everything together, and let the fridge do the rest.
- Big crunch. The crispy noodles give these cookies their scraggly, haystack shape and sweet, satisfying crunch.
- Easy to make for Christmas. Use red, green, and white sprinkles, or use red or green candy melts for colorful haystacks!
Haystack Cookie Ingredients
Look for chow mein noodles in the Asian food aisle and marshmallow bits near the hot cocoa or baking supplies.
- White chocolate chips. You’ll need a 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips to coat the haystacks and hold them together. For a dark chocolate batch, grab milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips.
- Vegetable oil. A tablespoon thins the melted white chocolate so it coats the noodles more easily.
- Chow mein noodles. Use 3 cups of the short, ready-to-eat noodles. Add them straight from the package.
- Marshmallow bits. Use ½ cup of the tiny, crunchy dehydrated marshmallows, like the ones in hot cocoa packets. You can also use ½ cup of mini marshmallows, cut into quarters, for a chewier bite.
- Chocolate syrup. A thin drizzle gives the haystack cookies a little extra chocolate flavor. You could also melt semisweet chocolate chips and use that as a drizzle that will firm up.
- Rainbow nonpareils. These sprinkles are used to give the cookies a colorful finish. Use holiday colored sprinkles for Christmas.
How To Make Haystack Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper before you melt the chocolate so it’s ready when you start scooping.
- Melt the white chocolate. Combine the white chocolate chips with a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each one, until smooth. This can take up to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.
- Fold in the noodles and marshmallows. Pour the melted chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Add the crispy chow mein noodles and marshmallow bits, and gently fold until coated.
- Scoop the haystacks. Drop the mixture in roughly ½-cup mounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. You’ll get 10–12 cookies, depending on how generously you scoop.
- Drizzle and decorate. Drizzle each haystack with a little chocolate syrup and scatter the nonpareils over the tops.
- Chill until firm. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or until the coating is firm and the cookies lift easily off the parchment.
Recipe Tips
- Stir between microwave bursts. White chocolate chips can hold their shape as they soften. Stir first, and stop heating them in the microwave as soon as the mixture is smooth.
- Fold gently. A rubber spatula helps coat the noodles while keeping the crunchy pieces intact.
- Sprinkle as you go. Add the nonpareils while the coating and drizzle are still wet so they stick.
- If gifting, use melted chocolate, not chocolate syrup. If you are stacking or gifting the haystacks, drizzle them with melted chocolate and let it set first. Chocolate syrup stays soft.
No Bake Haystack Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cups chow mein noodles
- ½ cup marshmallow bits, or ½ cup mini marshmallows cut into quarters
- chocolate syrup, for drizzling
- holiday colored sprinkles, or rainbow nonpareils, for topping
Instructions
- Prep. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the white chocolate. Combine the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each burst, until smooth. This can take up to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.
- Mix. Pour the melted chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Add the chow mein noodles and marshmallow bits and gently fold until evenly coated.
- Scoop. Drop the mixture in roughly ½-cup mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
- Decorate. Drizzle the haystacks with chocolate syrup and top with sprinkles.
- Chill. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or until the chocolate coating is firm and the cookies lift easily from the parchment.
Equipment
Notes
- For dark chocolate haystacks, replace the white chocolate chips with 12 ounces of semisweet or dark chocolate chips and follow the same directions.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How To Store
Once the cookies are firm, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for about 1 week. Keep syrup-drizzled haystacks in a single layer if you want them to stay neat. If you used melted chocolate for the drizzle, let it set completely before stacking the cookies between sheets of wax paper.
