Honey Joys are a delicious, crunchy sweet snack created with cornflake cereal and a honey and butter glaze that sticks it together. Also known as honey crackles, they’re the perfect party food for kids and adults alike.

These cornflake honey joys are easy to make using only 5-ingredients, Kellogg’s cornflakes, butter, honey, sugar, and vanilla. You will be heating the glaze ingredients in a pot and then pouring it over the cornflakes. This creates a sticky crunchy mixture which you then spoon into paper cases in a muffin tin. They then bake for 10 minutes, which makes this the best honey joy recipe.
Popular in Australia, honey joys will make many of you nostalgic about their childhood parties. They’re just like cornflake cupcakes that you eat from a paper cup. This recipe doesn’t hold back on the sugar and for good reason. Keep in mind honey joys are supposed to be sweet and to be served as a small treat. Do not be tempted to reduce the amount of sugar or the amount of honey as these two ingredients act as the glue that sticks the cornflakes together. If their quantity is reduced, they will crumble and fall apart easier.
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If you like quick treats like this honey cornflakes recipe, try out these Kid Friendly Rum Balls, Chocolate Spiders, and Chocolate Crackles for your next party food idea. This Homemade Milo recipe and Frozen Yoghurt Coconut Bark are also kid-friendly and are wonderful treats for the whole family.
🍯 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- 5-ingredients to make a batch of delicious honey joys.
- 10 minutes in the oven is all the time they need to bake.
- A great party food and lunchbox idea for the kids and adults alike.
📋 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Cornflakes: Widely available in supermarkets, these are the main ingredient. If you would like to make this honey crackle recipe gluten free, simply use gluten free cornflakes!
Butter: You can use either unsalted or salted butter for this recipe.
Sugar: Generally people make honey joys with caster/superfine sugar however, I’ve made these with granulated sugar and they work just as well. You can use either golden or white caster or granulated sugar.
Honey: Hence the name honey crackles and honey joys, honey is the key ingredient that adds the iconic flavor. If you're wondering about honey vs raw honey in this recipe, you can use either runny honey or raw honey.
Vanilla: I love to add a touch of vanilla extract to my honey joys recipe as it adds dimension to the flavor which cuts through the sweetness ever so slightly.
🥣 Step By Step Instructions
1) In a large mixing bowl, add cornflakes and set aside.
2) In a small pot, add butter, sugar, and honey.
3) Place pot over medium-low heat and warm through until butter is melted and mixture begins to simmer. Keep at a slow simmer and cook for 30 seconds then turn off the heat and stir through the vanilla.
4) Pour mixture over cornflakes and gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until cornflakes are coated and the glaze is well distributed. TIP: Work quickly here as the glaze begins to thicken fast which can make it hard to mix it through the cornflakes.
5) Spoon mixture into paper cases, filling each to the top. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden.
6) Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The honey joys will harden and set firm as they cool. Serve and enjoy!
💭 Top Tips
To make these gluten free, use gluten free cornflakes.
Either salted or unsalted butter can be used.
Either golden or white granulated or caster/superfine sugar can be used.
Work at a faster pace when mixing the melted mixture into the cornflakes as it will thicken quickly making it harder to stir through.
Store in an airtight container, in a dry dark pantry if your home and the weather is cool. If warm, the honey joys hold their crunch better being stored in the refrigerator. Store for 1 week - 10 days.
💬 FAQ's
You cannot decrease the quantity of sugar in this recipe as sugar is the main ingredient that sticks the cornflakes together. The sugar and honey glaze harden after the honey joys bake, which makes them firm. If you reduce the amount of sugar, your honey crackles will be soft and can fall apart easily.
You can make gluten free honey joys by using gluten free cornflakes!
Yes, you can! Be sure to store them in the refrigerator so they remain crunchy for the day you serve them.
🥄 Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Honey Joys
Ingredients
- 5 cups cornflakes cereal, use gluten free cornflakes if desired
- 100 g unsalted or salted butter
- ½ cup golden or white granulated sugar or caster/superfine sugar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Line a regular 12-hole muffin pan with paper muffin cases. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cornflakes and set aside.
- In a small pot, add butter, sugar, and honey.
- Place pot over medium-low heat and warm through until butter is melted and mixture begins to simmer. Keep at a slow simmer and cook for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
- Stir through vanilla.
- Pour mixture over cornflakes and gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until cornflakes are coated and the glaze is well distributed. TIP: Work quickly here as the glaze begins to thicken fast which can make it hard to mix through the cornflakes.
- Spoon mixture into paper cases, filling each to the top.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The honey joys will harden and set firm as they cool.
- Serve and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!