Every year as an advent activity, Eben and I made a gingerbread house. While those store-bought gingerbread kits seem very simple, making your own gingerbread house can be too! You can use ingredients that you already have on-hand, use your creativity, and there is no packaging waste either.
This year, we decided to make a healthier version of the gingerbread house using ingredients that we already had in our kitchen cupboards. And while there are still a handful of chocolate candies used in the decorating, most of the ingredients are better for him. The best part, it took less than an hour to make and we laughed and chatted while we made it, and our house smelled fantastic when we were done! Read on to learn how to make a healthier gingerbread house with your children for the holidays and add it to your weekend activity list.
Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients
- graham crackers
- carob chips
- shredded coconut
- miniature chocolate pieces
- yogurt covered almonds
- square cereal pieces
- ice cream cones
- cinnamon sticks
- peanut butter
- baker’s twine
Step 2: Choose your Design
Eben and I decided on a simple cottage design inspired by the ingredients that we had on hand in our kitchen. We wanted a sweet look and choose our colors to match the orange yogurt covered almonds that we had.
Step 3: Construct the House
You will need 4 graham crackers squares and 4 graham cracker triangles. Use a serrated knife to cut the graham crackers into a triangular shape.
We melted carob chips and used them to “glue” the house together. We then placed it in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the hardening process.
Step 4: Add the Roof
Choose your favorite square cereal to construct the roof. We used peanut butter to secure the “shingles” on the roof starting from the bottom and then layering each level until we reached the roofline. We added the shingles to all four sides of the roof.
Step 5: Add Doors and Windows
We used more cereal and miniature chocolate pieces to make the front door and windows – attaching those to the house with peanut butter as well.
Step 6: Add a Little Color
We used orange yogurt covered almonds to the peak of the house!
Step 7: Make the Trees
We used sugar ice cream cones turned upside down and adorned with miniature chocolate pieces (also attached with peanut butter) for our miniature forest of trees.
Step 8: Make a Wood Pile
We tied a small stack of cinnamon sticks together with baker’s twine to make a stack of firewood to place next to the house.
Step 9: Add the Snow
We sprinkled shredded coconut all around the gingerbread house and then added the trees and woodpile to the finished display!
Step 10: Eat and Enjoy!
After all of our work, Eben didn’t want to eat the house immediately – he said we should at least wait a day and enjoy looking at it before we devour it.
Do you make gingerbread houses with your children? Have you ever made a healthier version? How did it turn out?
