Bring some joy to your life with these easy honey joys. With just four ingredients they are simple to make and loved by kids and kids at heart.
Jump to:
Honey joys, also known as honey crackles or cornflake honey joys are a classic Australian dessert. With just four ingredients they are a cinch to make and have been a firm favorite at kid's parties for generations.
And what's not to love? Crunchy golden corn flakes smothered in sweet buttery honey, thrown together in as little as fifteen minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool down enough so you can gobble them up!
Recipe tips and frequently asked questions
What are honey joys?
Honey joys are a simple and delicious Australian kid's party food traditionally made of corn flakes, butter, sugar and of course honey.
What's another name for honey joys?
In Australia they are also known as honey crackles. But depending on whereabouts you are from could also be called honey suckles, cornflake crackles, honey jumbles, cornflake crispies or even cornflake crunch.
In Malaysia they are known as honey cornflakes or cornflake madu. And in Britian cornflake buns or honey cornflake cakes.
Regardless of what you call them a honey joy by any other name is still delicious!
Why are my honey joys
Falling apart?
A few possible reasons. They were not fully cool before eating. A warm joy from the oven will fall apart. The sugar wasn't fully dissolved in the butter and honey mix. The butter mix wasn't thoroughly mixed through the cornflakes. They were not baked for long enough or hot enough. Or they were on the bench on a hot day.
To hard?
A couple of reasons. The sugar and butter mix was cooked for too long before adding it to the cornflakes. Or they were baked for too long or in too hot an oven.
Sticking to the paper?
A very common problem with honey joys can be difficult to avoid. The nature of baking means some of the coating tends to melt off and pool at the bottom of the paper case where it sticks. I've tried spraying the paper cases with oil but found it didn't make much difference. You can make them in silicon muffin tins instead without paper cases. Or you can make no bake honey joys, both will avoid the paper sticking problem.
Can I make these
Without baking?
Yes you can, but they will be sweeter and less crispy and won't stick together as well. To make these without an oven simply make as per the recipe and spoon into lined muffin tins. Instead of baking chill in the fridge for at least one hour. One huge advantage of these is they do not stick to the paper cases, bonus!
Without paper cases?
Yes you can make these in silicone muffin molds without paper cases but they are stickier to eat as there is no paper case to hold onto. Make sure they are completely cool and gently pop them out by pushing up the bottom. In regular metal muffin tins no, you really need to make them with paper cases or similar or you will never get them out of the tins!
With other cereal?
Yes these work well with other cereal too. Some popular choices include crunchy nut cornflakes, sultana bran or even rice bubbles.
Without butter?
Yes you can. For dairy free honey joys replace the butter with the same amount of margarine/vegan butter.
Without honey?
Yes you can. For vegan honey joys replace the honey with the same amount of alternative sweetener such as golden syrup, maple syrup or rice malt syrup. My kids and I personally prefer golden syrup if I am making these without honey, I find it gives the best flavour.
Gluten free?
Even though corn is gluten free, regular corn flakes can contain barley malt which is not gluten free. To make gluten free honey joys simply swap the regular corn flakes for gluten free corn flakes in the same amount.
How long do they last?
In my house, about five minutes before they get gobbled up! In the unlikely event you have any leftovers store them in an airtight container on the bench for up to X days, or in the fridge for up to a week (TEST this to see if it actually makes a difference...).
Should they be refrigerated?
It depends. All the ingredients are shelf-stable, so you don't have to store them in the fridge. But the texture changes depending on where you store them. When stored on the bench they will be softer and chewier. When stored in the fridge they will be firmer and crispier. So it really depends how you like your honey joys as to where to store them.
Can you freeze them?
No you can not freeze them, the cornflakes go soggy and unpleasant. And they are so quick and easy to make you're better off making a fresh batch.
Ingredients
Corn flakes: are the cereal traditionally used. Some say the cheaper brands with smaller flakes make better joys, but I've never had a problem with large flakes. You can also use other cereals such as crunchy nut corn fakes, sultana bran or even rice bubbles. If making vegan honey joys check your cereal is suitable for vegans.
Butter: unsalted butter is best for this recipe. For a dairy free or vegan alternative you can use margarine/vegan butter instead.
White sugar: works just fine in this recipe, you just need to make sure you dissolve it properly. You can use castor sugar instead which dissolves more easily but it's also more expensive.
Honey: Choose milder-tasting honey for the kids or mix things up with stronger flavored honey. To make these without honey replace with the same amount of sugar syrup alternatives such as rice malt syrup, maple syrup or golden syrup.
Optional extras
Sprinkles: because sprinkles make everything more fun. A dash of hundreds and thousands or rainbow no parells adds some colour to this fun kid's party food.
Nuts: some nuts add another crunchy element and flavour to this recipe. I like to use Australian macadamias but you could use peanuts, almonds or a similar nut, or leave them out altogether for a nut-free alternative.
How to make honey joys
Preheat your oven to 170°C/340°F/150°C fan-forced. Line your muffin tins with paper cases/ patty pans.
Put the cornflakes into a large bowl. Make sure the bowl is on a heatproof surface. Roughly chop and add the nuts if using. Add the sugar, butter and honey to a small pot on the stove. Heat on medium-low, string until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the mix is foamy.
Take the pot off the heat and pour it all over the cornflakes. Working quickly stir the honey mix into the cornflakes until it evenly coats them. It will be sticky and look a little thin, but that's OK. Spoon into muffin trays, packing them in slightly.
Hot tip: to make these without an oven stop at this point and chill in the fridge for about an hour to set. Otherwise bake as normal.
Bake in the oven for eight to ten minutes. They should be just starting to colour. Remove from oven and top with sprinkles if using. Allow to cool completely to set before eating.
How to serve
To serve these honey cornflake cups pop onto a plate and enjoy! They are very morish and hard to stop at just one, make sure you leave some for the kids!
How to store
These easy honey crackles will store well in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week. Store them on the bench for softer, chewier joys or in the fridge for firmer, crispier joys.
They are not suitable for freezing, trust me they go soggy!
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below!
Looking for more yummy recipes?
Why not try making
- Fairy bread lamingtons
- Frog In A Pond
- Hedgehog Slice (recipe coming soon!)
- Lamingtons
- Ginger crunch
Follow me on Facebook for many more delicious recipes.
📖 Recipe
Honey Joys
Equipment
- 12 - 18 hole muffin tin trays
- 12 - 18 patty pans/muffin tin liners
Ingredients
- 4 cups (160gms) corn flakes
- (90gms) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (55gms) white sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Optional extras
- ⅔ cup (80gms) nuts such as macadamias or penuts
- 3 tablespoons hundreds and thousands
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 170°C/340°F/150°C fan-forced. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners or patty pans.
- Put the cornflakes into a large bowl. Roughly chop and add the nuts if using.
- Add the sugar, butter and honey to a small pot on the stove. Heat on medium low, string until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook until the mix is foamy.
- Put the bowl with cornflake mix on a heatproof surface. Pour the butter mix over the cornflakes, mixing as you got to. Working quickly mix the cornflakes until evenly coated.
- Spoon into muffin tins, packing them slightly as you go.
- Bake in the oven for ten minutes. Remove and add sprinkles if using. Allow to cool completely at room tempreature on in the fridge before serving.
- To serve pop onto a plate and enjoy! Perfect for a kid's party, lunch boxes or afternoon tea. Delicious!
Notes
- To make no bake honey joys spoon into cases then chill in the fridge for one hour.
- To make gluten-free honey joys use gluten-free corn flakes.
- To make dairy free honey joys use margarine/vegan butter.
- To make vegan honey joys use an alternative sweetener such as golden syrup, maple syrup or rice malt syrup and margarine/vegan butter. Use cereal that's suitable for vegans.
- These honey joys will keep for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. They are not suitable for home freezing.
Join the community!
Like The Aussie Home Cook on Facebook for more great recipes
Pin it for later!
Leave a Reply