Trader Joe's New $9 Gingerbread House Kit Includes 4 Truly Adorable Surprises

Leave it to Trader Joe’s to come out with the most desirable gingerbread house kit imaginable. The new item, which recently hit TJ’s shelves nationwide, looks like a typical gingerbread house, but it’s the four adorable accessories that come with it—a quartet of cute woodland creatures that you can eat—that set it apart from similar kits from other retailers.

According to the official description of this new Gingerbread House Kit on the Trader Joe’s website, the $9 item has everything you need to make the edible holiday decoration, and then some. Each Kit contains “the essential materials needed to make a traditional German cookie house,” including a cookie base that acts as a sturdy foundation, hearty walls and roofing that are actually just scrumptious gingerbread cookie slabs, a gingerbread Christmas tree, edible outdoor decor in the form of fruit gummies, chocolate buttons, and rainbow sprinkles, and durable cement that’s simply a ready-to-make icing mix you can use to put the house together. All you need is an egg white and some lemon juice to mix with the icing so it’s easily spreadable. 

The best part, however, is the array of “winsome woodland creatures made of sugar” that you can place around the exterior of your gingerbread house to give it an even cozier, more festive feel. The sweet little animals—an owl, a deer, a squirrel, and a fox—have expressive faces and are made of sugar, gum arabic, and milk protein. The colors are all plant-based, made from ingredients such as spirulina and beetroot juice.

What else sets the TJ’s Gingerbread House Kit apart from others, you ask? The gingerbread pieces are soft, chewy, and actually taste good, which means this product has the capacity to be more than just a holiday activity. Additionally, those same gingerbread pieces are textured with shingles, which adds a realistic quality to the house. Shoppers who have bought the kit also note that it’s easy to put together, because the pieces are sturdy and the house’s triangular shape means it’s more structurally sound than most.

“I was impressed with this one,” one Instagram user wrote. “So cute!”

A TikTok user wholeheartedly agreed with the cuteness factor, adding: “It’s soo adorable! I love that they use vegetable juice for color."

The Trader Joe’s Gingerbread House Kits are currently on sale, but grab ‘em while supplies last because they won’t be available after the holiday season. If you’re in TJ’s doing some holiday shopping, check out this list of the festive items we can’t live without!