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Last Updated on December 17, 2023
Gingerbread houses are the embodiment of the merry soul of Christmas. Sitting on your dinner table, they spread festive vibes around the house with their whimsical designs and sweet toppings. But although traditional gingerbread houses have an unwavering charm, I like adding sweet twists to my recipe every now and then.
This year, I decided to use pop-tarts instead of gingerbread and graham crackers. So if you want to top off your Christmas decorations with a pop tart gingerbread house, check out my recipe!
Ingredients
Before jumping right into the recipe, I’ll tell you the ingredients you’ll need to make a pop-tart gingerbread house. Lucky for you, they’re all widely available, and the toppings have replacements in case you don’t find them.
House and Icing
Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need for the house and royal icing:
- 6 pop-tarts
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of meringue powder
- 2-3 tablespoons of water
Toppings
Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need for the decorations and toppings. Note that while these are the toppings I recommend, you can add any ones you want. Also, add all amounts to taste.
- Mini marshmallows
- Sugar pearls
- Colorful sprinkles
- Mini candy canes
- Chocolate mini pop-tarts
- White sparkling sugar
In addition to these ingredients, you’ll need a serrated knife, whisk, piping tip, and a piping bag.
How to Make a Pop-Tart Gingerbread House
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Decorating Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Calories: 1200 (might vary depending on the candies you use to decorate)
Now, it’s time to make a mouthwatering and aesthetically-appealing gingerbread house.
1. Make the Royal Icing
Believe it or not, making royal icing is the most challenging part of the recipe. While mixing meringue powder, water, and powdered sugar might seem easy, achieving the right consistency can be tricky. You want the consistency thick enough to stick the pop-tarts together, but you don’t want it to harden and turn solid.
So first, mix the three ingredients in a bowl using a whisk. You can also use a stand mixer if you own one. After they blend, lift the whisk and watch as the icing drips. If it drips within ten seconds, you just made perfect icing for your house. But if it takes more than that, add water in tiny amounts and whisk till you get the right consistency.
If the icing slides from the whisk immediately, keep whisking or add more powdered sugar.
2. Cut the Pop-Tarts
Pop-tarts are less likely to crumble and break than graham crackers, so cutting them will be easier. But here’s a little piece of advice before you start cutting: use your serrated knife to saw through the pop-tarts instead of pressing down on them. This way, they’ll be less likely to break.
You’ll need to cut the front, back, roof, sides, and chimney. Here are the detailed instructions, and make sure not to throw any scraps till you finish the recipe.
Front and Back Walls
You’ll need to cut two pop-tarts for the front and back walls. Grab one, and lay it on the cutting board. Then, cut a diagonal line from the middle of the upper line of the pop-tart toward the right edge. Repeat the same step with the left edge. Now, your pop-tart should look like a triangle from the top. Follow the same steps with the second pop-tart.
Side Walls
Cutting pop-tarts for the side walls is insanely easy. All you have to do is lay two pop-tarts in front of you and cut a small section off of their tops. They should be the same height as the front and back walls with no triangles on top.
Chimney and Roof
The house’s chimney is slightly challenging to cut, so follow my instructions closely. First, grab a pop-tart, and cut it into four equally-sized squares. Then, put two aside and cut two inverted triangles at the top of the remaining ones.
You can test to see whether they’re accurately cut in a simple way. Without adding icing, enclose the four pieces together, with the two inverted triangles directed downwards. Every two similar pieces should be facing each other. Ideally, their sizes should fit perfectly together, and they should form a square from the top.
As for the roof, you’ll need two whole pop-tarts for it, so there’s no handy work here!
3. Assemble the House
You’ll need the front, back, and side walls to assemble the merry holiday house. First, prepare your piping bag by pushing your piping tip through its small opening and making sure it fits. Next, fill the bag with icing and close it from above by twisting it a couple of times or using a plastic tie.
You can use a Ziploc bag or a plastic sandwich bag if you don’t have a piping bag.
Use the icing to cover the sides of your trimmed pop-tarts. Then, stick them together so that the side walls face each other and the front and back walls face each other. Next, add icing on the top lines of your house to prepare for the roof and chimney.
4. Add the Roof
Stick one pop-tart on top of the left side of the house. Then, cover its edges with royal icing and adhere the second pop-tart to it. Now that the house is complete, you can add icing around all the edges of the house to ensure it stays intact.
5. Assemble the Chimney
Before using icing on the chimney, you should ensure its size fits the size of the house. So try putting it on top and seeing if it looks too large compared to the house’s size. If it’s large, cut some extra pieces off of it.
Next, grab the two pieces that have cuts on the shapes of inverted triangles, and stick one of them on the diagonal shape of the roof, right in the middle. Then, cover its edges with icing, and stick the two square pieces to it. Add the final piece so that your chimney looks complete, and re-apply icing to all edges.
6. Make the Front Door and Pathway
Now, you’ll use the scraps of the pop-tarts you cut earlier to make the front door. It consists of two thin and long biscuit pieces, so even if you don’t have leftovers in that shape, you can cut them in less than a minute. First, squeeze pipe icing on the back of each piece. Then, stick them to the front of your house, next to each other and right in the center.
As for the pathway, you’ll use the chocolate pop-tarts and pipe icing. First, organize the pop-tarts in front of the house so that they look like tiles. Then, squeeze pipe icing around them so that it looks like snow. A final decorative touch I like to add for a realistic effect is to sprinkle white sparkling sugar on top of the tiny tarts. This way, it’ll look like it was snowing.
7. Decorate the Gingerbread House
Here comes the part I love the most, decorating the gingerbread house. This step is so much fun, as you’re free to get creative and add any toppings you like. You can also make it family fun and let your kids help you. But before starting, I have to warn you; you should never decorate the house before the icing hardens completely.
To decorate your house, start piping more icing on the roof and around the edges. Then, sprinkle some sparkling or powdered sugar to mimic snow.
After icing the house, it’s time to make a tiny wreath to stick above your front door. First, grab a marshmallow and smash it so that it flattens down. Then, draw a ring around its edges using pipe icing. Throw some sprinkles or sugar pearls on the icing before it dries for a splash of color, then stick the wreath to the house using more icing.
Next, stick a couple of red candy canes along the pathway of the chocolate pop-tarts. Add a small drop of icing on the bottom of each candy cane and push it down on the plate. You can also crush a few of them and sprinkle them around the house for a festive decoration.
Finally, top off your pop-tart house with colorful sugar pearls around the pathway and inside the chimney. And that’s it!
Some people like to decorate the roof with candies like M&Ms or jelly beans, but I don’t recommend doing so because they might drop after a while, affecting your house’s aesthetic. If you want to spice up your roof, you can add marshmallows, as they’re lightweight.
Pin for Later
Why Use Pop-Tarts to Make a Gingerbread House
You might be wondering why I used pop-tarts instead of graham crackers or baked gingerbread to make the house. Let me tell you, pop-tarts are much better, and I’ll tell you why.
For one, pop-tarts are easier to cut using a serrated knife because they’re less likely to crumble. So, they result in sturdier houses.
Also, gingerbread is a hassle to bake and takes more time than pop-tarts, which are ready to use right out of the package. And with all the Christmas preparations on my to-do list, having a shortcut for even one task is highly appreciated.
On top of that, pop-tarts come in various flavors and colors, so you can customize the house to your family’s preference. For example, many people dislike the peppery taste of gingerbread, and the house remains uneaten throughout the merry holiday season. Meanwhile, pop-tart gingerbread houses are delicious and satisfy every taste.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to help you make an extraordinary pop-tart gingerbread house.
For starters, if you make the icing a few hours before working on the house, you should cover the bowl with a damp cloth till you’re ready to use it. Doing so will keep the icing consistency perfect and prevent it from hardening. If it hardens, you won’t be able to use it to stick the house pieces together.
More so, if you’re in the mood for intricate decorating, you can add red and green food coloring to a portion of royal icing and use it to draw Christmas-y patterns all over the house. But make sure to use a smaller piping tip than the one you used earlier. Also, try your hands at drawing on a plate before squeezing icing right onto the house’s surface.
Finally, if you want an extra shot of sweetness in your house, use frosted or chocolate-flavored pop-tarts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Candies Can I Use to Decorate My Pop-Tart Gingerbread House?
In addition to the candies I listed above, you can use these to decorate your pop-tart gingerbread house:
- Gumdrops
- Red licorice twists
- Hershey’s kisses
- Skittles
- Mini chocolates
- Jelly beans
- Red sour belts
How Can I Store Royal Icing If I Don’t Use All of It?
If you want your icing to last more than a week, you should store it in an airtight container. Luckily, icing made with meringue powder can withstand room temperature for a long time, so you don’t need to push it into the fridge. But if you use eggs, you should refrigerate the container right away.
How Long Should I Wait Before Decorating My Pop-Tart Gingerbread House?
Ideally, you should wait for two or three hours before decorating. This way, you ensure that the icing is completely dry.
Pop Tart Gingerbread House
Who wouldn't want a pop tart gingerbread house for Christmas? This quick, easy DIY is a great way to get your kids involved in the magic of the holidays.
Ingredients
House and Icing
- 6 pop-tarts
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of meringue powder
- 2-3 tablespoons of water
Toppings
- Mini marshmallows
- Sugar pearls
- Colorful sprinkles
- Mini candy canes
- Chocolate mini pop-tarts
- White sparkling sugar
Instructions
1. Mix Royal Icing
So first, mix the three ingredients in a bowl using a whisk. You can also use a stand mixer if you own one. After they blend, lift the whisk and watch as the icing drips. If it drips within ten seconds, you just made perfect icing for your house. But if it takes more than that, add water in tiny amounts and whisk till you get the right consistency.
2. Cut the Pop Tarts
Use your serrated knife to saw through the pop-tarts instead of pressing down on them. This way, they'll be less likely to break.
You'll need to cut the front, back, roof, front door, and sides. Here are the detailed instructions, and make sure not to throw any scraps till you finish the recipe.
Front and Back Walls
You'll need to cut two pop-tarts for the front and back walls. Grab one, and lay it on the cutting board. Then, cut a diagonal line from the middle of the upper line of the pop-tart toward the right edge. Repeat the same step with the left edge. Now, your pop-tart should look like a triangle from the top. Follow the same steps with the second pop-tart. In one pop tart, cut out an opening for a door carefully with your knife.
Side Walls
Cutting pop-tarts for the side walls is insanely easy. All you have to do is lay two pop-tarts in front of you and cut a small section off of their tops. They should be the same height as the front and back walls with no triangles on top.
Roof
As for the roof, you'll need two whole pop-tarts, so there's no handy work here!
3. Assemble the House
You'll need the front, back, and side walls to assemble the merry holiday house. First, prepare your piping bag by pushing your piping tip through its small opening and making sure it fits. Next, fill the bag with icing and close it from above by twisting it a couple of times or using a plastic tie.
You can use a Ziploc bag or a plastic sandwich bag if you don't have a piping bag.
Use the icing to cover the sides of your trimmed pop-tarts. Then, stick them together so that the side walls face each other and the front and back walls face each other. Next, add icing on the top lines of your house to prepare for the roof.
4. Add the Roof
Stick one pop-tart on top of the left side of the house. Then, cover its edges with royal icing and adhere the second pop-tart to it
5. Decorate the Gingerbread House
Ideally, you should wait for two or three hours before decorating. This way, you ensure that the icing is completely dry.
To decorate your house, start piping more icing on the roof and around the edges. Then, sprinkle some sparkling or powdered sugar to mimic snow. Decorate to your hearts content!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 570Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 119gFiber: 2gSugar: 78gProtein: 4g
Final Words
Gingerbread houses are one of my favorite traditions of Christmas, and by using pop-tarts instead of baked gingerbread, making them becomes a breeze. So try your hands at a pop-tart gingerbread house and get creative with the decorations. Believe me; you’ll love the result!