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Traditions are such a huge part of the magic of the holidays. And Gingerbread Houses or Graham Cracker Houses are a big part of our holiday traditions.

As a kid I had a neighbor who made a huge, elaborate gingerbread house every year. She would go all out, and after Christmas was over, she would bring it over and let us eat it. At the time I loved it, but now all I can think is “gross”. Haha, all that stale candy and rock hard icing that had been sitting unwrapped and getting dusty for a month. But we loved it, and it is a huge part of my Christmas memory. So I decided early in my marriage that making holiday houses was a must.

I remember one year buying a premade kit, and really struggling our way through it. The kids were arguing over what to put where, and most of the candy was hard before we ever put it on the house. So after that I decided individual houses were the way to go.

Back then Pinterest was still invite only, and I remember seeing someone share a graham cracker house. I thought it was brilliant, and so much less work. And ever since we have been making them with my kids!

Here’s a quick how-to:

1. Start with 6 graham crackers
2. Cut two to be the front and back
3. Cut two to be the sides, you want them to be as tall as the non-roof part of the front and back
4. Cut two to serve as the roof
5. Put peanut butter or frosting down the sides of the front
6. Attach the two side pieces and do the same for the back.
7. Put frosting or peanut butter down the roof slope
8. Attach the roof pieces, and put a little down the center to help hold them together
9. Decorate and enjoy!

They are easy to make, everyone gets to express their creative side, and all that finger licking means saliva is only transferring to something they personally are going to eat. Yay!

 I went to Walmart and used this $0.50 off coupon for Honey Maid Grahams (12.2 oz or larger) and got lots of small fun candies and sprinkles to decorate with. I even bought white cotton candy to be the “snow” around the houses!

I put all the options on a tray, then cut each kid’s graham crackers to the proper specifications, gave them a paper plate, some icing, and then let them have at it.

We had a blast! And I even made one myself. Didn’t it turn out cute?

But you guys, I had some many pieces of graham cracker left. Like TONS! All those cut pieces; the remnants were just waiting for me to do something with them, and what better way to use them than bake a cheesecake??? Am I right? How about snowman cheesecake?

 So I thought it would be fun to use different size muffin tins to make mini cheesecakes, and make them into a festive snow man!! And I used the leftover candies from decorating our houses to really dress the snow man up.

 Stinking cute, huh?

Graham crackers seem to make it into all of my holiday baking, like these s’mores brownies!  And for good reason. But let’s take a minute to talk about how seriously easy these mini cheesecakes are to make. Did I mention they are peanut butter? Yes, they are! You’re welcome. You can make these in minutes (though they do have to refrigerate for a few hours), and with minimal ingredients, making them my favorite go-to.

I just love this time of year and all the fun activities related to it, particularly baking. So make yourself (and your kids, grandkids, or neighbor kids) these darling holiday houses, and use your remnant pieces to make simple, mouthwatering cheesecake! And head over to Honey Maid instagram to see other fun ideas!

Enjoy!

And if you are looking for other fun ways to use Graham Crackers, try these other mini cheesecakes:

Creme De Menthe Mini Cheesecakes

Almond Joy Mini Cheesecakes

White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Minis