I always get a kick out of reading recipes labeled "original" and then discover it is only vaguely similar to the original. Butterscotch haystacks - dating back to the early 1950 - were made with butterscotch pieces, chow mein noodles, and marshmallow creme. No cashews, no peanuts, NO PEANUT BUTTER! No oil necessary either, it just adds fat and calories and does not improve the taste. All of that came later as people embellished and experimented with the 'original recipe'.

Although it uses marshmallows rather than creme, this recipe comes closer than any to the original and imparts the same not-too-sweet, not-too-bland flavor of the original, too.