Christmas Cookie Recipes You'll Make Every Year (2024)

These no-bake butterscotch haystacks are one of our family’s favorite christmas cookie recipes. Get the recipe for these and many more delicious holiday cookies.

Welcome to my virtual holiday cookie exchange. I’ve gathered Christmas cookie recipes from some of my foodie blogger pans, and I’m bringing my family-favorite no-bake butterscotch haystacks to the party.

They’re a family holiday tradition, just like my grandma’s icebox fruitcake and these fruitcake cookies. (Seriously, give fruitcake a chance — it’s so much more than a punchline!)

Christmas Cookie Party

The good thing about a virtual cookie party is that you get to enjoy all the yummy goodness and temptation without the calories! Although you’ll definitely want to make these Christmas cookie recipes to enjoy with your family.

You may even be inspired to host a cookie exchange or cookie swap party. It’s a great way to try lots of different types of holiday cookies without having to bake them all yourself.

In this collection, you’ll find recipes for so many types of Christmas cookies:

• chocolate chip cookies
• monster cookies
• oatmeal cookies
• cranberry cookies
• snowball cookies
• cookie bars
• sugar cookies
• no-bake cookies
• peppermint cookies
• Christmas thumbprint cookies
• peanut butter cookies
• gingerbread cookies
• shortbread cookies
• iced cookies

Pretty much any kind of cookie you might want to bake for the holidays! The classics and some new recipes you’ll definitely want to add to your holiday baking list.

Warning: do not view these recipes on an empty stomach. We are not responsible for any snack attacks that result!

First up, I’m sharing my easy-to-make, no-bake Butterscotch Haystacks. (You’ll find the rest of the recipes after the recipe card.)

What are Haystack Cookies Made Of?

I’m pretty sure this recipe originated in the 1960s or 1970s, the heyday of chicken chow mein from a can.

Because Chinese chow mein noodles are one of the three ingredients you need to make them, along with butterscotch chips and peanuts.

Yep, you read that right. These tasty morsels require only three ingredients! And no turning on the oven. Heck, you don’t even have to use the stove to melt the butterscotch chips. Just zap those babies in the microwave.

That’s my kind of holiday baking! Quick, easy and ready to eat in minutes!

Some haystacks recipes include other add-ins, such as peanut butter, marshmallows or different types of nuts. Our family prefers the 3-ingredient version.

To Make Butterscotch Haystacks, You Will Need:

• Crunchy chow mein noodles– Find these on the international aisle in the grocery store with the soy sauce, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and other prepackaged Asian food
• Dry roasted peanuts– Some recipes leave these out, but I like the flavor and crunch dry roasted peanuts add
• Butterscotch morsels– Find these on the baking aisle near the chocolate chips and other baking morsels. You could substitute chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips, but the butterscotch version is the best, in my opinion.
• Double boiler or large microwave-safe mixing bowl – I find it easiest to melt the butterscotch chips in the bowl where I’m making my cookies. You could also use a double-boiler to melt the morsels.
• Baking sheets or wire racks – Use these, lined with parchment or wax paper, to allow the haystack cookies to cool and set
• Wax paper or parchment paper– To keep the cookies from sticking as they cool and harden, line your baking sheets or wire racks with paper
• Rubber spatula – Use this to gently mix the ingredients
• Spoons – You’ll need spoons to portion out the cookies.

How to Make Butterscotch Haystacks

When you make these haystack cookies, you need to work quickly. You’ll find that the melted butterscotch cools and hardens pretty quickly. That’s a good thing because you can eat these cookies just minutes after you make them. But it also means you can’t dawdle over the process.

Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Click here to watch my web story on how to make butterscotch haystacks.

Begin by lining several baking sheets or wire racks with wax paper or parchment paper.

Measure out the peanuts and crunchy noodles so you can add them to the butterscotch as soon as it’s melted.

Next, use a double boiler over low heat to melt the butterscotch chips, stirring frequently.

You can also melt the morsels in a large bowl in the microwave, following the melting instructions on the package. Be careful not to overheat the butterscotch chips.

Once the butterscotch chips are melted, quickly combine with the crunchy noodles and peanuts in a large mixing bowl. Use a spatula to stir well and ensure the dry ingredients are well coated with butterscotch.

Finally, drop by spoonful onto lined, prepared baking sheets. Allow to cool and harden.

Variations

• Feel free to omit the dry roasted peanuts if you have allergies or don’t like the taste
• Try making these with other nuts, such as pecans or walnuts.
• Try adding mini marshmallows to a batch. You may need to use additional melted butterscotch as you add ingredients to the recipe.
• Instead of butterscotch morsels, try making these haystack cookies with white chocolate chips, semisweet morsels, milk chocolate chips or peanut butter chips.

When I hosted my extended family on my dad’s side for Christmas I served Grandma’s butterscotch haystacks.They were a big hit and a source of many shared memories. The memories and stories make the cookies even sweeter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Printable Recipe Card

Pin This! Christmas Cookie Recipes

I’m glad I got to share this easy, family recipe as part of the virtual cookie exchange.Please visit the following blogs to see the other Christmas cookie recipes.

More Christmas Cookie Recipes

Do you have any Christmas cookie recipes you make year after year?