Gingerbread House Alternatives

Whether your gingerbread house looks like an elaborate Gingerbread Manor…


Or more like a cozy shack made from graham crackers…

Who doesn’t enjoy spending a fun-filled afternoon of quality time with their children building a gingerbread house every year? That is, of course, unless your little one is allergic to some or all of the goodies that go into baking and decorating that house! How about thinking outside that cookie (or graham cracker) box and tying one of these alternatives?

Twinkle-Kids makes a felt Gingerbread House Kit that includes “over 60 felt candy decorations that magically stick to a plain brown felt house” that you and your little ones can decorate over and over again.

http://www.twinkle-kids.com/GINGERBREAD%20HOUSE.html

Oriental Trading offers many different Gingerbread House ideas to choose from including a foam kit, a felt kit that requires sewing, a 3-D Gingerbread House made of card stock paper, or even a mini GB house ornament kit.
http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/search/processRequest.do?Ntt=gingerbread+house&requestURI=searchMain&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=0

Or maybe you still have your heart set on making your gingerbread house out of actual gingerbread cookies? A&J Bakery now offers Egg, Dairy, and Nut-Free Gingerbread House kits! You can order the kit to put together and decorate yourself or even order a predecorated house.
http://www.aandjbakery.net/Gingerbread_House.html

And if you are looking for a Gluten-Free option, I’ve heard The Sensitive Baker offers a kit just for you! You may need to email to ask specifically for it though.
http://store.thesensitivebaker.com/

If you’d prefer to bake the gingerbread yourself. Here is a wheat-free recipe using Pamela’s Products Wheat-Free Bread Mix.
http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipes/gingerbreadhouse07.html
For an egg-free gingerbread house icing you might want to try the following recipe. Boil together 4½ cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 1/3 cup light corn syrup until hardball stage (until golden brown and when you drop a little in cold water it turns hard). It won't give you the "snowy" look, but it will hold the house together!


No matter what type of gingerbread house you choose to build, spending quality time with your family is really all that matters. Enjoy!