Go Back
+ servings
pop tart gingerbread house
Print
5 from 5 votes

Pop Tart Haunted Gingerbread House

Our Pop Tart haunted gingerbread houses are so fun for kids to make. Wait, Pop Tarts? YES. You'll never go back to graham cracker houses after you try our method!
Prep Time20 minutes
Active Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 1 house
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • serrated knife
  • Plastic baggie

Materials

  • 6 pop tarts
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons water
  • Halloween candy (pumpkins, ghosts, dots, M&Ms, etc.)

Instructions

  • Place 6 pop tarts on the cutting board.

Roof

  • You will be making cuts on 4 out of 6 of the pop tarts. The 2 that aren't cut are the roof pieces. You can set those 2 pop tarts to the side if you'd like.

Front and Back Walls

  • Take 1 pop tart and place it on its side, right next to another pop tart.
    6 pop tarts being cut into gingerbread house shapes
  • Cut on a diagonal from the corner of the pop tart that it on its side, to the center of the middle pop tart. Repeat on the other side.
    pop tart being cut on a diagonal for roof piece
  • You should now have a pop tart that looks like a house. Repeat this step so that you have 2 house shaped pop tarts.

Side Walls

  • Remember that pop tart that you turned on its side? Go ahead and stand it up again. Place it next to one of the house-shaped pop tarts, lining up the corners, and cut horizontally across (as shown in photo). Repeat.
    pop tart being cut to size for a wall piece
  • You should now have two roof pieces (un-cut), 2 house shaped pieces, and 2 wall peces.
    Combine powdered sugar and water to make a royal icing glue. Add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved (2 1/2 teaspoons works well for me). Spoon icing into a ziploc bag and cut the tip off.
    Glue the 4 walls together with icing and hold in place for a minute or so.
  • Add the roof pieces and hold in place for another minute or so.
    hands holding pop tart house roof together
  • Let houses stand at least 30 minutes before decorating. If making these with kids, assemble them the day before to allow pop tarts to harden (makes them sturdier) before decorating.
    two gingerbread houses made from pop tarts
  • Dip decorations into icing or pipe icing onto houses to decorate.
    candy pumpkin being dipping into bowl of white icing

Video

Notes

Tips: 
  • Icing should be the consistency of craft glue. You can tint it different colors using food coloring if you'd like.
  • When cutting pop tarts, use a serrated knife and gently saw. Don't press down hard with the knife.
  • To add heavier candies to the houses, like M&Ms, add a line of icing to the house and let the icing stand for a couple of minutes before placing candy on it. This will allow the icing to dry a little and become tacky.