Entertain your children these July holidays with these easy, no-bake treats.

Wayne Blake, cluster general manager at ANEW Hotels & Resorts, shares his top five no-bake treats that are child-approved and easy to make.

Wayne’s top holiday survival tip: “Don’t overthink it. The best snacks are the ones that get eaten! Keep it no-bake, hands-on, a little messy and make them part of the process.”

Find some easy-to-make mug cake recipes here.

5 easy, no-bake treats

1. Crispy cornflake and peanut butter clusters

Sweet without being a sugar bomb, these crunchy healthy bites are made for sticky fingers and are super easy to make.

How to make them: makes 10–12 clusters

• Mix about 250ml cornflakes with 65ml of your favourite peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) and 30ml of honey.
• Scoop the mixture into small cupcake papers and pop into the fridge to firm up. No cupcake papers? Simply roll into small balls and chill.
• Extra: If you have, add a small handful (around 20ml) of chia seeds for a bit of crunch.

If this is too healthy for your little snack critics, replace the peanut butter with Nutella or baking chocolate!

2. Bonkers biscuit sandwiches

Dessert sandwiches for children. No fridge, no bake, just build and munch!

How to make them:

• Start with plain biscuits as the base (Marie, Tennis or digestives work well).
• Spread with a layer of peanut butter, Nutella, Biscoff Lotus spread, cream cheese or even ice cream as the “glue”, then go wild with toppings. Choose from:
• Crushed cornflakes
• Broken wafer sticks
• Crushed pretzels
• Mini marshmallows
• Jelly Tots
• Smarties
• Cherries or raspberries
• Colourful sprinkles, coconut or cocoa powder dust
• Top with a second biscuit and gently press into a sandwich.

3. Snack bunnies

Double your snack time with art time with these silly, creative no-bake bites.

How to make them:

• Lay out plain crackers or use left-over crumpets as the “body”.
• Use cream cheese, butter or hummus as the base “glue”.
• Let kids decorate them into silly creatures using ingredients like:
  • Sliced olives or blueberries for eyes
  • Curled cucumber peel, carrot sticks or chives for tails, tongues or antennae
  • Raisins, dried cranberries, sliced banana or tiny gherkin slivers for the body parts
  • A triangle of cheese or salami for wings
• Serve on a bed of lettuce for a “grass” effect.

4. Popcorn snowball bites: makes 12–15 snowball bites

What is a holiday without popcorn? A fun, no-bake treat that’s light, crunchy and simple to make … although a bit messy!

How to make them:

• In a large bowl, mix 750ml plain popped popcorn with 120ml of mini marshmallows (optional for extra chewiness).
• In a small bowl, whisk together either:
  • 60ml cream cheese + 2 tablespoons (30ml) honey or
  • 100ml Greek yoghurt + 2 tablespoons (30ml) honey
• Pour the creamy mixture over the popcorn and gently fold until well coated.
• Using clean hands or a small scoop, form bite-sized balls and place them on a tray lined with baking paper.
• Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Optional: Roll the balls in crushed freeze-dried strawberries, desiccated coconut or coloured sprinkles for a playful, fun finish.

5. Cheese and crackle pops

A savoury upgrade to fruit skewers, these fun bites hit all the right notes! They are cheesy, crunchy and definitely child-approved.

How to make them:

• Use long pretzel sticks or toothpicks (trim the sharp edges)
• Add alternative layers of cubed cheese, mini gherkins and mini rice cakes or popcorn.
• Finish with a cherry tomato or olive on top.

Did you know?

International Hot Dog Day in 2025 will be celebrated on 16 July, find some recipes for hot dogs with a twist here.