"I give this 3 stars... based on the following. The directions were very easy to follow. The templates were not included... nor does it say anything about templates being included. The creator of this recipes refers to "figures", however the "figures" are not available. However, they do give the dimensions for you to make your own templates, and they are really easy to follow. The hardest part of this "Gingerbread House" was constructing the pieces together so that they stay. I followed the icing recipe and even added a little more almond extract than it said, and still found the icing to be a little stiff. The icing didn't want to stick to the gingerbread at all. The gingerbread was crumbling in my hands. The last thing, I had a problem with was a final picture of what theirs looked like. I just had to guess where the 5 pieces went. My 2-1/2 daughter enjoyed helping me decorate it. I guess that's what matters. :) Good luck!!!