These No-Bake Buddy the Elf Spaghetti cookies have all his favorite toppings: marshmallows, M&Ms, sprinkles, maple syrup, chocolate Pop Tarts, and more chocolate!

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Back in December of 2018 , shortly after our lab moved from Ohio State to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we were told about a Center tradition where each lab comes up with a themed holiday treat cart to sell goodies for charity. The key point was that we were told it was also a competition which they take very seriously.

We busted out of the gates with a Hogwarts Express Trolley, complete with all the items you read about in the books and saw in the movies and then some, including cards inside the handmade chocolate frog boxes with our Center professors on them. Apparently we took it up a level and not only raised the most money, but won best cart as well!

In 2019, we kept the streak alive with our “Have a Typhoid Merry Christmas” cart which included Merry Christmice chocolate covered cherries, petri dish cookies, “raw hamburger” rice crispy treat patties, “unfinished courses of antibiotic” jelly beans, and chocolate covered raisin “gallstones”.

But then we all know what happened in 2020 and continued through 2021, so the cart festivities did not occur. However, this year I took it upon myself to revive it! The turnover is pretty high in science research, at least for staff, so not many people had experienced the holiday treat carts – they did not know about my intensity haha.

We struggled a little bit to come to a consensus but ultimately we went with an Elf themed cart this year. On the menu we had the Lincoln Tunnel of Fudge Cake, Seven Levels of the Candy Cane Forest Bars, Don’t Eat the Yellow Snowball Cookies, Eat a Whole Roll of Cookie Dough Balls, Candy-Candy Canes-Candy Corns-Maple Syrup Fudge, the World’s Best Cup of Coffee, and of course Buddy’s Spaghetti Cookies.

Originally I had Santa I know Him Brownies and Swirly Twirly Gumdrop Punch on the menu as well, but we ran out of room on the cart as it was! I did also dress up like Buddy while I pushed the cart around to everyone’s offices, with a green cardigan cinched with a big black belt, yellow leggings, and hat. Sure enough we won again this year!

The star IMO was these no-bake Buddy the Elf spaghetti cookies which are great fun to make and remind me of my mom’s haystack cookies (I’ve also made a chubby hubby version). Get the kids involved and let them go wild with the toppings!

NO-BAKE BUDDY THE ELF SPAGHETTI COOKIES

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Yield: 2 dozen Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 5 Minutes 5 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 12 oz. white chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup mini marshmallow bits, divided
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (or 1 tsp maple extract)
• 5 oz. chow mein noodles
• 1/2 cup mini M&Ms
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
• 1 chocolate Pop Tart, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper; set aside.
2. In a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring frequently.
3. Once completely melted, remove from heat and stir in the maple. Immediately add half the marshmallow bits and chow mein noodles, gently mixing until fully coated.
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet*. Immediately top with remaining marshmallow bits, M&Ms, sprinkles, and Pop Tart pieces.
5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave milk chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Drizzle over haystacks and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

Notes

*Yield will depend on how large or small you make them.

Source: Adapted slightly from Cravings of a Lunatic and my Chubby Hubby Haystack Cookies.

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This hamburger chop suey is a throwback comfort food recipe that is easy to make but also a little different. Just try it, you’ll love it!

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I am still working through the giant catalog of my mom’s recipes. I first started with the ones she had made copies of for me when I left for college, but after my most recent trip to Maryland we found even more! Literally four boxes of recipes cards. I actually discovered the origin to a couple of her more frequently made recipes and a couple others written in short hand which were neat.

Now I have even more recipes to work through. And I am totally digging these retro, minimal ingredient, few step recipes. I’ve not felt particularly inspired in the kitchen lately and many of these recipes are comforting on many levels, so I find myself drawn to them more than ever.

This hamburger chop suey doesn’t seem to appear in any of my memories, but given that it has chow mein noodles I am sure she made it for my brother and I at some point. It’s totally her style too, combining unsuspecting ingredients into something delicious. According to the internet, it can also be another name for goulash and has Italian-American origins. All I know is that this is most definitely not that.

The original recipe calls for a can of mushrooms, but since neither Bob nor I like mushrooms we substituted that for chickpeas. We also added a bit of broccoli to pump up the vegetable content a bit more. And finally we spiced it up by adding a little chili oil.

One year ago: Strawberry Spinach Salad Pizza

Two years ago: Pesto Chicken Salad

Five years ago: Taco Hummus

Six years ago: Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce & Coconut-Ginger Rice

Seven years ago: Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Bowls

Eight years ago: S’mores Puppy Chow

Ten years ago: Banana Foster Cream Pie

HAMBURGER CHOP SUEY

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Yield: 6 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 head of broccoli, florets cut
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can condensed chicken and rice soup
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8 oz.) can chickpeas, drained *
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup raw rice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Chili oil, to taste
• Chow mein noodles

Directions

1. In a large skillet, head olive oil over medium heat. Add beef and brown until most of the pink is gone. Add onion, celery, and broccoli and sautee for 5 minutes.
2. Add soups, chickpeas, water, rice, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn off heat, and let steam for 20 minutes.
3. Season to taste with chili oil. Serve topped with chow mein noodles.

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Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE