The butterscotch chips and peanut butter are combined and melted to create a coating in which the noodles are dipped. The nutty richness of the peanut butter allays the "sets your teeth on edge" sweetness of the butterscotch chips and the chow mien noodles bring just the right hint of salt to play up the creamy flavor of the coating. The noodles also add the crunchy texture that sets this cookie apart.
Since these cookies are of the haystack variety, protruding chow mien noodles can make it hard to get your mouth around them so you sort of have to munch about the edges. Also, the cookie tends to crumble in your hand after the first bite. You’ll most assuredly have little crumbs of butterscotch/peanut butter coating and chow mien noodle pieces in your lap after devouring one. (But who can eat just one?) Trust me, you will be fishing in your lap to nibble on every last remaining crumb.
Since these cookies are of the haystack variety, protruding chow mien noodles can make it hard to get your mouth around them so you sort of have to munch about the edges. Also, the cookie tends to crumble in your hand after the first bite. You’ll most assuredly have little crumbs of butterscotch/peanut butter coating and chow mien noodle pieces in your lap after devouring one. (But who can eat just one?) Trust me, you will be fishing in your lap to nibble on every last remaining crumb.
By now, you must be wondering what these scrumptious morsels of goodness are called. Well, so was I because I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember.
Since the name escaped me, I described the cookie when I called Mom to inquire about the recipe. Thankfully, chow mien noodles as a cookie ingredient are pretty distinctive so she knew exactly what I was referring to. She called them peanut butter cookies. To me, that name just didn’t seem to fit a cookie in which peanut butter is the most nominal ingredient. So for my inaugural batch of these cookies, I decided I should bestow a new name upon them.
As I was kicking around ideas, Eric stopped by the kitchen to see what I was up to and asked, “What are these coral reef looking cookies?” Although his contribution to the naming of the cookie was an off the cuff reaction to the shape and color, I did consider coral reef cookies for a time but decided that title wasn’t snappy enough. However, I was pleased to hear that we were somewhat on the same page as I had been contemplating names involving sea life too. My first thought was that the cookies looked like some variety of nigiri sushi. The chocolate squiggles reminded me of the sweetened soy sauce reduction that is sometimes drizzled over sushi. For inspiration, I arranged a few cookies in a leftover sushi takeout tray but it was to no avail. The name nigiri sushi cookies wasn’t working for me (nor would it “work” for anyone else, I suspect).
???? Cookies
I have no idea of the actual provenance of these cookies but Mom thinks she got the recipe from my Aunt Dixie. Who knows where Dixie got it? If you know who originally hit upon this winning combination, please thank them heartily for me. They have greatly enriched my life and I’m forever indebted to them. Also, if you know the original name for these cookies, I'd love to know.
2 c chow mien noodles
6 oz butterscotch chips
½ c peanut butter
1-2 oz dark or milk chocolate
1. Line a sheet pan with wax paper and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Stir with a spatula occasionally to prevent burning and to smooth the mixture. When fully melted, stir in the chow mien noodles. Drop large spoonfuls onto the wax paper lined sheet pan and place in fridge to set up.
3. Melt a small quantity of chocolate and pour into a Ziploc bag. Use scissors to snip just the very tip of a corner off to use the bag for drizzling chocolate over the cookies once the coating has set up.
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