A SLIGHTLY EASIER CHINESE DISH:

Distant Cousins of the Cookie, No Bake Treats Have Their Charms (Erin Hanrahan, 1/25/06, Valley News)

With the promise of shorter prep time and a vague aura of possible whole grain nutrition, treats have gained significant ground in school lunches and at birthday parties over the years. Harried parents can now buy them pre-packaged at any grocery store, and you can even find Rice Krispies treats in vending machines.

But while fans have lauded their strides toward ubiquity, the continued advancement of treats has led some cookie traditionalists to question whether, in the effort to promote a diverse and unfussy dessert spread, we may have gone too far. Are treats poised for a takeover? To find the answer to this question I went to two leading cookie authorities; King Arthur Flour baking instructor and editor of The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion (Countryman Press, 2004) Susan Reid, and my mom. [...]

My mother was more diplomatic. “I've never really thought of them as different. Who says you have to bake them for them to be cookies?” She cited as an example a childhood favorite of mine, Chinese Noodle Cookies, which require only three ingredients, melted in the microwave and stirred together.

“They're shaped like little round cookies,” she explained. “Now if I put them in a nine-inch pan and cut them into squares I guess I'd call them bars. But who am I, Betty Crocker?” [...]

Chinese Noodle Cookies

To make Chinese noodle cookies you'll need:

one 12-ounce bag of butterscotch chips

one cup of smooth peanut butter

6 ounces of dry chow mein noodles (canned or in a bag)

Melt the butterscotch chips in a microwave or double boiler and add the peanut butter, stirring slowly.

Add the chow mein noodles and stir gently until they are coated with the butterscotch mixture. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto wax paper or an ungreased cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until hard. Yield: 40 cookies.