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The Kitchn editorial assistant Celia Funderburk says she tested nine gingerbread house kits and picked five for different priorities, including decorating, young children and taste. Her top overall choice was Dylan’s Candy Bar at $65; the article also highlights a pre-built Favorite Day kit, while noting one arrived with a broken roof.
The Kitchn has named five gingerbread house kits as its picks for building, decorating and eating after editorial assistant Celia Funderburk tested nine kits. The recommendations vary by use: Dylan’s Candy Bar was her overall choice, while the list also includes budget, child-friendly, taste-focused and decorating-focused options.
Funderburk said she researched the comparison beginning in September and assembled all nine kits herself. During testing, she recorded whether the icing could hold the house together, how much candy was included, whether decorations were left over and whether any gingerbread pieces were broken before assembly.
Her overall pick, the Dylan’s Candy Bar kit, costs $65, the highest price among the kits she tested. Funderburk praised its pre-built house and range of decorations, including three icing colors, dot candies, rainbow belts, gumballs, cotton candy sticks and chocolate presents. She said the amount of candy made it possible to decorate generously and snack while working.
The recommendations also include Favorite Day’s pre-built gingerbread house as the budget choice and its pre-built Holiday Coloring Village for little kids. The village has four houses with white icing and black stencils, food-safe color markers, a small bag of icing and candy. Funderburk described it as easy to use and relatively low-mess, but said it was not a long activity. She reported that the roof on the budget Favorite Day house arrived broken. King Arthur Baking Company was selected for taste and Wilton for decorating, though the supplied source material does not include the tester’s detailed assessments of those two kits.
Five Kits for Different Holiday Plans
The comparison helps shoppers choose a kit based on how they want to spend the activity, rather than treating every product as the same kind of project. A pre-built house can bypass assembly, while the coloring village offers a simpler option for children and people who want to avoid handling icing. For shoppers focused on taste, the article identifies King Arthur Baking Company as its pick, although the source excerpt does not explain the tasting results.
Price and condition also matter. The $65 Dylan’s Candy Bar kit offers the tester the broadest decorating selection but is a substantial splurge. The broken roof reported on the Favorite Day kit is a reminder that packaging and shipping condition can affect the experience, even when the product is intended to make decorating easier.
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How the Kits Were Tested
Funderburk framed the test around the practical tasks involved in making a gingerbread house: assembling the structure, decorating it and eating the finished pieces. She said she built each of the nine kits and took notes on structural icing, candy quantity and broken cookies or components.
The article is a product review, not a report of a new food-safety rule or a controlled laboratory study. The source says products were independently selected and that The Kitchn may earn a commission if readers buy through its links. It also says prices were accurate at the time of publication, so current prices and availability may differ.
“I got my hands on nine different kits to see which are worth your money — and time.”
— Celia Funderburk, The Kitchn editorial assistant
Prices and Product Details May Change
The supplied article excerpt names all five category picks, but gives detailed descriptions only for Dylan’s Candy Bar and the two Favorite Day products. It does not provide the prices, full kit contents or testing rationale for King Arthur Baking Company and Wilton, so those details cannot be confirmed from the material here. The excerpt also does not identify the other four kits that were tested but not selected.
The source notes that prices were accurate when the article was published, but no publication date or current retailer listings are included in the supplied material. Availability, prices and the condition of individual kits may vary.
Check Listings Before Buying
Readers considering a purchase should check retailer listings for current prices, stock and included decorations, particularly for the two picks whose detailed reviews are not present in the supplied excerpt. For a kit that will be shipped, inspect the pieces before starting and check the retailer’s policy if parts arrive broken. The source does not announce a follow-up test or another scheduled development.
Key Questions
Which gingerbread house kit was the overall pick?
Dylan’s Candy Bar was Celia Funderburk’s overall choice. It costs $65 in the article and comes pre-built with a wide selection of candy and three icing colors.
Which kit did the tester recommend for little kids?
The Favorite Day Pre-Built Holiday Coloring Village was her pick for little kids. It includes four pre-built houses, stencils and food-safe color markers, with candy and icing also included.
Did the Favorite Day budget kit have any problem?
Yes. Funderburk said the roof arrived broken on the pre-built Favorite Day gingerbread house she tested. She wished the packaging had more padding.
Which kits were picked for taste and decorating?
The article names King Arthur Baking Company as its best-tasting choice and Wilton as its pick for decorators. The supplied source excerpt does not provide the detailed reasons for those selections.
Source: thekitchn.com
