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Graham Cracker Houses and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies

Dec 12, 2020 · 25 Comments

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Making and decorating mini graham cracker houses is such a fun family activity and I’m sharing a gingerbread glue recipe that actually holds, oh also, I’m sharing a recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip graham cracker cookies, because hey, those leftover graham crackers shouldn’t go to waste!  Without further adieu, enjoy these graham cracker houses and peanut butter chocolate chip graham cracker cookies!

Graham Cracker Houses and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies this image

I was talking with my husband about holiday activities now that we have kids, he said that one of the favorite things we’ve done in the past is make these mini graham cracker houses, so I just had to re-share this post I did a few years ago!

Mini graham cracker houses

So, to start with, you should know that throughout the graham cracker house making process I did just about everything out of order and needed my husbands’ assistance (I’m just going to gloss over the fact that even though I ‘thought’ I was the creative one, I definitely learned that he has some mad skills in the crafting department.)

How to make edible glue for graham cracker houses

Things started off great: I cut all the house pieces and made frosting using peanut butter.  The frosting I made was amazing, I’d call it more of a ‘glue.’ I had heard horror stories of frosting not drying or being sticky enough, so I wanted an adhesive that really worked and dried quickly. Done and done. The frosting I made dries in 10 minutes!

Mini graham cracker housesIt is smooth and creamy yet stiff and holds it’s own! Good thing, because after I had cut all the graham cracker pieces, things started breaking. But as my husband joked “things not lining up? just use more frosting and cover it up.” And a little tip for when you’re cutting the graham crackers – gently run your knife along the line you want to cut first, and then gently cut down with a sharp knife. Start cutting the pieces for each house (one box of graham crackers made parts for 5 finished houses).

How to make the best graham cracker houses

One would think that making graham cracker houses was enough in and of itself, but being a food blogger I just couldn’t throw away the pieces of the graham crackers that were left over from making the houses.

Since everything is just better with cookies, I made peanut butter chocolate chip graham cracker cookies that could be eaten while decorating the graham cracker houses. The cookies came out absolutely amazing, with subtle hints of peanut butter and graham cracker and rich chocolate chips.  Everyone loved them!
The best ever peanut butter chocolate chip graham cracker cookies

So after we had our little houses made, we went to my in-laws’ and all of us decorated them. The toppings I had were:

  • gumdrops
  • peppermint bark covered pretzels
  • mini cookie wafers
  • sixlets
  • mini candy canes
  • but any decorations you have on hand or that you like to use would work!

The family making graham cracker houses

What a seriously fun holiday activity it was to decorate these houses, I would highly recommend making some with the family to see what everyone comes up with!

The cutest mini graham cracker houses

Have you ever made gingerbread houses or graham cracker houses? This was my first time making them and and I am definitely going to do it again!

Other recipes you might enjoy:

  • Gingerbread Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 5 Ingredient Blueberry Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
  • Cranberry Gingerbread Muffins
Graham Cracker Houses and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies

Graham Cracker Houses and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies

Making and decorating mini graham cracker houses is such a fun family activity and I’m sharing a gingerbread glue recipe that actually holds!
5 from 1 vote
Print Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

For the graham cracker houses

  • 1 box Honey Maid graham crackers
  • 1 batch peanut butter gingerbread house frosting/glue recipe below
  • Assorted toppings gumdrops, mini candy canes, cookie wafers, sixlets, peppermint bark pretzels

For the peanut butter frosting/glue

  • 3 Tbs meringue powder
  • 1 Tbs Skippy peanut butter
  • 5 Tbs cold water
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

For the peanut butter chocolate chip graham cracker cookies

  • 1/4 cup butter unsalted
  • 1/4 cup Skippy peanut butter creamy
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup Honey Maid Graham Cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

For the graham cracker houses

  • Start by cutting each graham cracker for the houses and put like-pieces with like in piles. Then line each side wall with frosting and lean it up against something and wait for it to dry, then put the house together and then add the roof, then wait for it to dry for 10 minutes and decorate as desired.

For the frosting-glue

  • Start by beating together meringue powder, peanut butter and water (it's ok if there are a few little clumps. Mix for 3 minutes, then add the powdered sugar and beat for 5 minutes, or until the frosting holds a peak. Put into a plastic bag and cut the end off one corner and use it as a piping bag.

For the cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugar. After it is creamy, add in the egg, vanilla extract and salt and beat to combine. Then add the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda and stir until combined, then stir in chocolate chips. Scoop cookies onto baking sheet (12 per sheet about an inch or so apart). Bake for 10 minutes and then allow to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

Notes

The nutrition information presented on this site should be considered an estimate as the calculations will change based on the exact products you use in your own kitchen.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g

This post was sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are as always mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible

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Did you make this recipe? Hashtag with us! Be sure to follow/tag @sweetphiblog and hashtag #sweetphiblog – we love to see what you’re cooking up!”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judith Jobson says

    November 16, 2019 at 8:08 am

    Chocolate is dangerous for dogs

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      November 18, 2019 at 11:18 am

      Agreed 100%. But I’m confused by your comment…nowhere does it say you should give your dog chocolate so I’m not quite sure what prompted the comment.

      Reply
  2. heidi says

    December 15, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    Can’t find meringue powder. What else can I use?

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 15, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Heidi – they sell meringue powder at craft stores – like Michaels or Joanns. I don’t know of a substitute, because it’s egg white powder.

      Reply
  3. Rachel @ Bakerita says

    December 8, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    These are SO cute! I’m a terrible decorator, and I love how adorably these turned out.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:58 pm

      I learned that I’m a terrible assembler and decorator lol, but it’s a run group activity and I’m telling myself that’s all that matters, right? lol

      Reply
  4. Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says

    December 8, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    Wow, these are so cute. I love how awesome all of your turned out. I am not a big on gingerbread flavor and absolutely love that I can actually eat them and enjoy if i wanted to.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:52 pm

      These are the perfect alternative if you don’t like gingerbread, plus, the houses are a lot smaller and manageable too 🙂

      Reply
  5. andrea rentea says

    December 8, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    These houses are so adorable, plus you can eat them. This follows in the long tradition of absolutely being incredibly creative. Thank you for these inspirations.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:51 pm

      Funny that you should mention that they are edible…because unlike some rock hard gingerbread houses, these are totally all edible and actually taste good (the peanut butter frosting on a graham cracker alone is delicious 🙂 ) thank you for commenting!!

      Reply
  6. Julie Grice says

    December 8, 2014 at 11:30 am

    Um, these are 100% adorable! Bummer about the computer going on the fritz, though – especially if you’ve worked ahead!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:41 pm

      Thank you so much for the compliment and well wishes. I’m just going to try and forget about my old computer…forget that it ever existed lol….instead I’ll think of these mini graham cracker houses and the holidays 🙂

      Reply
      • Julie Grice says

        December 9, 2014 at 12:00 pm

        It is a much tastier and festive thing to think about, for sure! 🙂

        Reply
        • Sweetphi says

          December 10, 2014 at 11:06 pm

          Thank you so much 🙂

          Reply
  7. cheri says

    December 8, 2014 at 11:04 am

    Hi Phi, adorable graham houses, love the gum drops on the roof.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:37 pm

      Thank you so much Cheri, they were super fun to decorate 🙂

      Reply
  8. Erin @ Lemon Sugar says

    December 8, 2014 at 11:02 am

    So cute! My girls have been begging to make gingerbread houses, this looks like the perfect solution. 🙂 ADORABLE!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:33 pm

      Thank you so much for your sweet comment Erin! This would be such a fun activity with your girls, I was actually surprised at how much fun it was (even for adults) and I’m totally going to do this every year now!

      Reply
  9. Lynn Lovejoy says

    December 8, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Ok these houses are absolutely ADORABLE!!! Too cute for words really…I love watching the whole family work to decorate them, it’s truly a fabulous family activity and it looks like everyone had a blast! I love how much your hubby helped you with these 🙂 He’s got some mad skills!!! Also, I’m pretty much in love with those cookies! I love using leftover ingredients! I’ve got a #tonofgruyere as you know, so I’m gonna be whipping some things up with that this week! I’m so glad that you are bouncing back from the computer fritz and that I could be there to help you out. I had the best time at our little virtual hangout and I love you!!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:31 pm

      Girl, I’m totally loving everything about this comment, so THANK YOU!!! This was totally a fun family activity. At first I kind of thought everyone would think I’m nuts (well, correction, they still think I’m a little nuts) but everyone was so receptive and made the cutest little houses! I’m totally going to make this a yearly tradition. And of course i’m going to need the hubby’s help, because I could not believe how bad the houses I made came out, I mean, they needed TONS of ‘glue’. Then on the way over to my inlaws my hubby said ‘be careful with my houses’ lol…but it was so true, they were totally his precious cargo lol. I too had so much fun at our virtual hang out and can’t wait to share all about that!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Eggnog Christmas Cookies Recipe (and 15 Christmas cookies to bake this year!) - Sweetphi says:
    November 10, 2021 at 9:52 am

    […] Graham Cracker Houses and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies […]

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  2. Guide to Holiday Entertaining: Recipes, Presents, and DIY - Sweetphi says:
    December 13, 2014 at 2:14 am

    […] Graham Cracker Houses with peanut butter glue […]

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  3. 5 Ingredient Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies - Sweetphi says:
    December 11, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] week is all about Christmasy and holiday goodness: Graham cracker houses with a glue that dries super quickly, cocktails, sugar cut-out-cookies that hold their shape, and now these toasted pecan snowballs. […]

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  4. Sugar Cut Out Cookies {that actually hold their shape} - Sweetphi says:
    December 10, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] you liking this Christmas week? I’ve shared mini gingerbread houses made out of graham crackers with a gingerbread house glue that dries in under 10 minutes and then the nutcracker […]

    Reply
  5. The Nutcracker Cocktail - Sweetphi says:
    December 9, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] that I’m dubbing it ‘Christmas Week’ on the Sweetphi blog…like these little Graham Cracker Houses from yesterday…did you see them? I have them on display and keep walking by them and just […]

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