OurNo-Bake Chow Mein Cookiesrecipe has been a family favorite for years! It’s a simple refrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients: crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanuts.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. We receive a small commission if purchases are made through our links to retailers.Click here to read our full disclosure policy.
Nearly 30 years ago, I was introduced to my grandmother-in-law’s No-Bake Chow Mein Cookies. Well, she actually called them “Chinese New Year Cookies”, but my family and Ialways preferred to call them “Chow Mein Cookies”, so that’s the name that always stuck with us.
During Christmastime, she would make a table full of holiday treats. After our holiday dinner with her, she would create a plate of goodies for us to take home. The Chow Mein Cookies were always one of the first to go.
I loved that tradition, so after a few years into our marriage, we started the tradition of making lots of holiday treats too. I usually picked treats to make that were fairly easy or ones that were special to me, such as Chocolate Chip Cookies and Christmas Candy Cane Cookies. And these No-Bake Chow Mein Cookies have also been made every year.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Chow Mein Cookies are a simplerefrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients:
If you are unfamiliar with chow mein noodles, they are a crunchy, fried egg noodle sold in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Look for them in a bag like you see in our photo (your store may sell a different brand). You may also see chow mein noodles sold in a canister, but we recommend trying to find the bags as they are usually less expensive.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookiesdon’t have to be baked in an oven. As long as you have a microwave (or stovetop) and a refrigerator, you can make these.
First, line baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Be sure that the baking sheet you use will fit in your refrigerator. If you have limited space in your refrigerator, you can use a dinner plate or another smaller tray-like item.
Combine both the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Make sure that your bowl is large enough that it will hold all of your chow mein noodles, along with the chips and the peanuts. A bowl that holds at least 2.5 qtwill work.
You’ll start by melting the chips together in the microwave, stirring chips every30-45 seconds, until smooth. The key is that you want to stir the chips often.
Our preferred method for melting the chips is in the microwave, but if you prefer to melt the chips on your stove top, here are step-by-step instructions for doing that: How to Melt Chocolate on your Stove-Top
Once the chips are smooth and melted, you will begin folding in the chow mein noodles a little at a time until they are completely coated mixture. Then gently fold in the peanuts until they are completely coated.
Finally, drop chow mein mixture by the spoonful onto your prepared baking sheet. We do this by using two teaspoons, one to scoop up some of the mixture and the other spoon to help scrape the mixture off of the other spoon and onto the baking sheet. If any of the chow mein noodles or peanuts escape from your mound, just push it back to the chow mein mixture.
To help the Chow Mein Cookies set up, we have found through the years that placing them in the refrigerator is best. You may find that you don’t need to place them in the refrigerator, but this does speed up the process.
Once the Chow Mein Cookies have set, store them covered at room temperature.
No-Bake Chow Mein Noodle Cookies Recipe
Here is the full recipe, ready for you to print. Like this recipe? We’d love for you to pin to your Pinterest board or share it on Facebook! Thank you for your support!
OurNo-Bake Chow Mein Cookies recipe has been a family favorite for years! It’s a simple refrigerator drop cookie that only needs 4 ingredients: crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanuts.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
Place both the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chips together in the microwave, stirring chips every30-45 seconds, until smooth.
Remove from microwave and begin folding in the chow mein noodles a little at a time until they are completely coated with the melted chip mixture. Fold in peanuts until they are completely coated.
Drop chow mein mixture by the spoonful onto prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator until Chow Mein Cookies havecompletely set.
Once Chow Mein Cookies have set, store covered at room temperature.
Notes
–We usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer
–The peanuts can be removed if you prefer. Or other salted nuts can be substituted.
Directions. Bring sugar, margarine, milk, cocoa, and salt to a rapid boil in a saucepan for 1 minute. Add quick-cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well. Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and let cool.
Despite their differences, chow mein and lo mein dishes are both made with Chinese egg noodles, which are wheat flour noodles with egg added. While lo mein requires fresh egg noodles, chow mein can be made with either fresh or dried egg noodles.
If the noodles are too soft (overcooked), the starch leach into the water and that's what makes them stick together and in the wok. So, maintain noodles al dente, that means firm when bitten. Sprinkle a little oil in the water and use chopsticks to separate the noodles during boiling.
If they're uncooked, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, covered. It's essential to use plenty of water (about 6 quarts should do it), since uncooked noodles will make the water starchy. Stir in the salt, followed by the raw noodles, and stir with chopsticks to break them up and prevent them from sticking.
Boiling too long will cause the cookies to be dry and crumbly. However, if you don't boil long enough the cookies will not set and will be runny. Some folks say bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then count to 60, while others swear by counting to 90.
Noodles are simply strands or ribbons of a flour/water dough, sometimes with other things like eggs or milk added. Chow mein is a dish that is prepared with particular types of noodles, stir-fried with various ingredients. It's a main dish that includes protein and vegetables, not just carbohydrates.
Yes, it is possible to substitute spaghetti for chow mein noodles by boiling it with a small amount of baking soda. The baking soda alters the pH level of the spaghetti, giving it a similar texture and flavor to chow mein noodles. They can then be used in any dish that calls for chow mein noodles.
The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed. The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles' softness.
Chow mein gets its signature flavor from the thick, dark homemade sauce the noodles are tossed with. It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty and makes putting down your chopsticks absolutely impossible.
Yum of China says you have the option to either prepare chow mein wet or dry. Wet refers to boiled noodles, while dry means deep-fried noodles. There's one key ingredient that indicates which version of chow mein will end up on your plate — water.
There are two main types of chow mein: steamed chow mein and crispy chow mein. To make steamed chow mein, chefs flash fry the egg noodles before tossing them with the rest of the ingredients and coating them in a light sauce. For crispy chow mein, chefs press the noodles flat while frying them.
Salting the water does more than just flavor your pasta. It can help keep the starches in your pasta from gelling together, reducing the risk of your pasta sticking. Aim to put a tablespoon or two of salt for every quart of water—which is about a quarter or half cup of salt for a pound of pasta.
15 Minute Lo Mein! Made with just soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of sugar, ramen noodles or spaghetti noodles, and any veggies or protein you like. SO YUMMY!
The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.
As the name implies, no bake cookies are, in fact, not baked. All it takes is a handful of ingredients and just a few minutes (literally!) to make these wonderful cookies. And they are naturally gluten free. HOWEVER, please make sure to get gluten free quick oats.
Do Girl Scout Cookies baked by Little Brownie Bakers contain artificial flavors? We use no artificial flavors in the Girl Scout S'mores® sandwich cookies, the Do-si-dos®, the gluten-free Toffee-tastic® Girl Scout Cookies or the Lemon-Ups® Girl Scout Cookies.
Recipes for cookies are highly variable. Probably the most popular cookies in the United States are those that are based on a simple dough of flour, butter, sugar, and egg, to which a variety of flavouring and texturizing ingredients, such as chocolate chips, oatmeal, raisins, or peanut butter, may be added.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
