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The Kitchn’s Celia Funderburk says she tested nine gingerbread house kits and selected five for different priorities, from decorating to taste. The recommendations include a $65 Dylan’s Candy Bar kit, pre-built options from Favorite Day, King Arthur Baking Company’s kit for taste, and a Wilton kit for decorators.
The Kitchn’s Celia Funderburk tested nine gingerbread house kits and named five picks for building, decorating and eating, giving holiday shoppers recommendations based on price, ease of assembly, decorating supplies and taste. The top overall choice was Dylan’s Candy Bar’s $65 kit, while two pre-built Favorite Day kits were recommended for people who want to start decorating without assembling a house.
Funderburk said she began researching the comparison in September and assembled all nine kits herself. During testing, she recorded whether the icing held the walls and roof together, how much candy each kit included, whether supplies were left over, and whether any gingerbread pieces arrived broken. The report does not provide a standardized scoring system or a full ranking of all nine contenders.
The five selections target different needs: Dylan’s Candy Bar was named best overall; a pre-built Favorite Day house best budget; Favorite Day’s pre-built Holiday Coloring Village best for little kids; King Arthur Baking Company best tasting; and Wilton best for decorators. The article describes Dylan’s kit as pre-built and stocked with three icing colors and a broad assortment of candy, including rainbow belts, gumballs and chocolate presents. At $65, it was the most expensive kit Funderburk tested.
Funderburk described the Favorite Day pre-built house as an affordable choice with three bags of candy and two icing colors, but reported that its roof arrived broken in her test. The four-house Holiday Coloring Village comes pre-built with white icing and black stencils, plus food-safe color markers, a small bag of icing and candy. Funderburk praised its ease of use and cleanup, while noting it makes for a shorter activity. The supplied source names King Arthur and Wilton as category winners but does not include their detailed test findings.
Five Kits for Different Holiday Plans
The recommendations offer shoppers a way to match a kit to the kind of activity they want, rather than treating every gingerbread house set as interchangeable. A pre-built kit reduces the chance that construction and drying time will dominate the gathering; a more elaborate kit can suit people who want a wider range of decorations. The coloring village offers a less messy route for younger participants, according to Funderburk’s hands-on assessment.
The report also flags a practical trade-off: price and kit condition can affect the experience. Dylan’s was the highest-priced option at $65, while the Favorite Day pre-built house had a broken roof in the tester’s sample. That damage is one reported experience, not evidence that every box will arrive that way. The findings can help readers weigh decoration supplies and convenience against cost, while keeping in mind that individual results may vary.
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How the Nine-Kit Test Worked
Funderburk framed the comparison around a familiar seasonal activity: making and decorating gingerbread houses with family or friends. She said she usually chose a standard grocery-store kit before taking on this test. Rather than judging appearance alone, she assembled each contender and tracked how the building process worked, including whether the icing functioned as glue or mainly as decoration.
Her observations also covered the amount of candy provided and the condition of the gingerbread before assembly. These details matter because a kit can be easy to decorate but difficult to build, or arrive with damaged pieces. The source describes the work as a hands-on product test, but does not report controlled taste testing, prices for every kit, or a detailed side-by-side scorecard.
““I got my hands on nine different kits to see which are worth your money — and time.””
— Celia Funderburk, The Kitchn
Limits of the Published Test
The source does not include the full results for all nine kits, the exact prices of the other selections, or a numerical scoring method. It also gives limited detail about the King Arthur Baking Company and Wilton picks beyond naming them best tasting and best for the decorator, respectively. Readers cannot compare those two recommendations against the others using the information provided here.
The Favorite Day roof damage was reported from Funderburk’s individual sample; the article does not establish how often that happens or whether the maker has changed its packaging. The source also does not specify where or when all kits were purchased. Prices may vary, and the $65 figure was reported as accurate at the time of the original article’s publication.
Check Details Before You Buy
Shoppers can use the five picks as a shortlist, then check current prices, availability and package contents with retailers before ordering. For a group activity, the key choice is whether participants want to assemble a house or begin decorating right away; the test suggests the pre-built options can save construction time. The Kitchn report does not announce a follow-up test or provide a schedule for further updates.
Key Questions
Which gingerbread house kit was named best overall?
The Kitchn’s Celia Funderburk named Dylan’s Candy Bar kit best overall. She reported that it was pre-built and came with a large assortment of decorating candy and three icing colors.
Which kit was the most expensive in the test?
Dylan’s Candy Bar’s kit was listed at $65, the highest price among the nine kits Funderburk tested. The source says prices were accurate at the time of publication.
Which pick was recommended for young children?
The Favorite Day Pre-Built Holiday Coloring Village was selected for little kids. It includes four pre-built houses, food-safe color markers, icing and candy, according to the report.
Did the reviewer find any damage?
Yes. Funderburk said the roof on her sample of the Favorite Day pre-built gingerbread house arrived broken. The article does not say how common that issue is.
Source: thekitchn.com
