These Chocolate Chip Cookie House Kits Are Perfect For Gingerbread Haters

Why do we eat baked goods? Well, obviously, because they taste good. Except, in the rare case when they don't, but we eat them, anyway. For example, let's take fruitcakes at Christmas — you know you're only forcing down that strange collection of flavors and textures for the sake of nostalgia! Gingerbread house kits certainly fall into this category, too. They're known for being a feast for your eyes, but sort of taste like sawdust, observed one recipe blog. Have you ever wondered, as you chewed on the dry, oddly peppery roof of your gingerbread house, practically cracking a tooth on the hard white icing, why people didn't make these houses out of something most people actually enjoy eating...like, say, chocolate chip cookies?

Nestle Toll House has read your mind. The ultimate authority on ready-to-bake cookies has launched a chocolate chip cookie house kit that's not just edible — it's actually good enough to have you wanting to come back for seconds (per Delish). "Here's my problem – unlike the disgusting gingerbread house kits, I'd actually want to eat this before putting it together," commented one Instagram user. What a sweet, gooey way to shut the door on an otherwise unpalatable 2020!

Gingerbread offers a fragile cookie base, which is why supermarket kits typically include a cardboard-like gingerbread that won't crumble under the weight of the candy and icing, according to Popular Science. "Construction grade" gingerbread has to be made with less water and uses corn syrup instead of molasses, Serious Eats explained. But Nestle was able to completely bypass the issue of crumbly cookies by offering "link and lock" cookie panels that will fit together like puzzle pieces, creating a stable foundation, Delish reported. So, you won't need to rely on that heavy, glue-like icing to keep the pieces together, either.

It hasn't been easy to get your hands on one of these chocolate chip cookie house kits, according to many shoppers who expressed interest in @junkfoodfoodie's Instagram post about this gingerbread house alternative. Among the people who were able to snag themselves a kit, some weren't all that enthralled with the taste. "Looks good and fits together. However, the cookie tasted horrible. Very chemical after taste," commented an Amazon reviewer. "Disappointing since Toll House cookies usually are very good." If you absolutely hate gingerbread, though, chemical chocolate chips have to be a welcome improvement!