The Tiny Ikea Gingerbread House Kit That's Almost Too Cute To Eat

While you may have already scoured the IKEA catalog and website for holiday accents and practical gifts for friends who just bought a house, don't forget that the Swedish home goods juggernaut is known for more than functional furniture. After all, it's also the land of Swedish meatballs and Andrew Zimmern's favorite creamed cod roe, so foodies looking for some Scandinavian treats should keep their eyes out this season for the most adorable tiny gingerbread house kit that is almost too cute to eat.

It might seem like all IKEA furniture is put together with mini elven wrenches, but the tiny VINTERSAGA edible house seems perfect for an actual family of elves. You don't need to be a pastry chef to decorate it, and it's a lot easier to assemble than a BILLY Bookcase, so if you see the kits on your next trip to the superstore you should definitely stock up.

Everyone knows that IKEA is the undisputed king of inexpensive furniture and housewares, but not as many people know that they also sell quite a lot of specialty food items from their homeland of Sweden. While you might have had a bite of $3.99 mac and cheese in the IKEA restaurant, there are also plenty of condiments, spreads, bread, snacks and sweets, and even meat and fish that you can take home on your next trip. In fact, they have an entire category of limited edition holiday treats, like ginger cookies, sparkling drinks, coffee, and chocolate. It's all about the pocket-sized gingerbread house kits, however, which you can get in two different models.

On the store's website, The VINTERSAGA gingerbread houses are described as, "Probably Sweden's most iconic Christmas decoration." They're tabletop-sized, weigh about 10 ounces, and are perfect for apartments and small spaces, which is IKEA's (ginger)-bread and butter demographic. If you've got more space, however, you could gather a group of the tasty cottages together and make an entirely edible village, because at $5.99 each, they're a little irresistible. There are even two different models to choose from.

If you're ready to take on the task of building a VINTERSAGA gingerbread house or two, there are a few things to know. The first is that you're going to have to take a trip to IKEA. According to the website, they are not able to sell their food products online, so get some comfy shoes on and mentally prepare for a walk through the maze to find the gingerbread kits. It's worth it, though, according to customer reviews.

"We have been purchasing the IKEA gingerbread houses for years. A family tradition is for the children to decorate them and see who can wait till Christmas before eating them. The joy is letting the children have fun not looking for perfection," said Robyne from Australia

More importantly, much like their no-frills furniture kits, you'll also need to buy a few things separately. You'll need a frosting kit in order to hold the gingerbread house together. Alternatively, you can buy a piping bag and make your own royal icing, which is pretty easy to make. You should also swing by the grocery store afterward to stock up on peppermint sticks, gumdrops, and any extra candy decorations you'd like to make an extra cute custom build. From there you just need to stick the four walls together and let your imagination do the rest!