Inspired to build your own gingerbread house?

Inspired

Inspired

to build your own gingerbread house?

It may seem daunting but building a gingerbread house from scratch isn’t that difficult, it just takes time. Follow this recipe and then add all of those amazing decorative candies that you can’t help but devour…

Recipe:

Ingredients 6 cups (828 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 4 teaspoons ground ginger 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (170 g) butter, softened 1 1/2 cups (284 g) packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup dark molasses 1 tablespoon water

Make the Gingerbread Dough

Whisk together the flour and spices: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Set aside. Make butter, sugar, egg, molasses mixture: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and well blended. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and water until well combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients, knead the dough: Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Add in the remaining flour and continue to mix until well blended, and a soft cohesive dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured work surface and knead by hand 5 or 6 times until the dough is smooth and combined. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour. Divide the dough, wrap and chill it: Divide the dough in half, pat into disks, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out.

Create and Cut Out Pattern Pieces

Create a gingerbread house pattern by cutting out pieces of stiff paper (like that of a manila folder) or cardboard. Cardboard is almost as thick as the gingerbread house pieces will be, and you can create a house model easily using the pieces.

Prepare oven and cookie sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.

Roll out dough: Spread parchment paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

Cut out shapes in dough with pattern pieces: Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough. Place the pattern pieces on the dough, as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently.

Depending on how soft the dough is, you may need to use scissors to cut the parchment paper. You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper, placing the dough pieces with the paper directly on the cookie sheets.

If you are not using parchment paper, you may need to use a large metal spatula to transfer the dough pieces to a greased cookie sheet.

Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other. If dough pieces stretch during the transfer process, push them back into shape.

You can cut out a door and window(s) at this point, or you can wait until after baking, soon after the pieces have come out of the oven while the cookies are still warm.

Bake: Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces.

Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

Trim pieces while warm: While the pieces are still slightly warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and use a large straight chef’s knife to trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking spread beyond the pattern.

Remove pieces to cool directly on racks to cool completely.

Make Royal Icing

Royal icing is not only used for decorating, but it is the mortar that holds the gingerbread pieces together to form the house. The following proportions should make enough icing for both the mortaring step and for decorating for one gingerbread house.

2 large egg whites 2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided

Make the royal icing: Whisk the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of the powdered sugar together until smooth.

If you are planning to eat your gingerbread house and are concerned about the safety of raw eggs, you can cook the egg white powdered sugar mixture in a double boiler until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160°F, but not higher than 175°

Add more powdered sugar, beat to stiff peaks: Add the remaining 1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar to the sugar egg mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until the icing holds stiff peaks. If it doesn’t form stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar.

Place a dampened clean towel over the bowl of royal icing: Keep this towel over the icing to prevent it from drying out while you work with it.

Pipe with pastry bag or cut freezer bag: When you are ready to mortar or decorate, fill a pastry bag with the icing. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can make your own with a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, just cut off the tip (a small cut) of one of the corners of the bag. Plastic or metal piping tips are available in supermarkets which you can also use with a freezer bag, for more controlled piping.

Construct the Basic House, Mortaring the Pieces Together with Royal Icing

Pick and line a base: Pick a solid base for your gingerbread house - either a flat cookie sheet, or a thick, sturdy piece of cardboard. If you want, line the base with aluminum foil or wax paper.

Mortar the sides of the house with royal icing: Pipe a thick line of icing along a short end of one of the side pieces. Press the iced side piece against the edge of either the front or back pieces.

Hold in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set. Repeat with the other side piece. Prop up with cans if necessary.

Repeat with the other short edges of the side pieces and the remaining front/back piece.

Pipe icing along the seams, inside and outside of the house, to fill in any gaps and to add extra stability. Pipe icing along the edges of the house where it meets the base. Let set for at least an hour before attempting to add the roof pieces.

Mortar in the roof with royal icing: Once the royal icing has dried enough so that the base structure is solid, you can go to work on the roof. Pipe icing all along the top edges of the structure, front and back and two sides.

The roof pieces are rectangular-shaped. Place the roof pieces so that the long ends of the rectangle are running along the top of the house. It helps if you have two people working together to place the roof pieces on the house at the same time so that they meet easily at the top center, and extend out a little bit, forming an overhang at each end.

Gently hold the roof pieces in place for a few minutes until they are set enough so they don’t slide off when you remove your hands.

Pipe the top seam of the house with extra icing. Let the house stand for at least an hour, and preferably 8 hours before decorating.

Mortar the chimney with royal icing: The dimensions of the chimney can be a bit tricky because of the angle of the roof.

It’s easiest to assemble the chimney first upside down, separate from the house. Pipe the pieces together with royal icing and let set until stable.

Then, turn the chimney right-side-up and attach it to the roof using piped royal icing. You can do this either right after the house has initially set (1 hour after assembly) or later, during the decorating process.

And now… the fun!

The candy on your gingerbread house will play an important role in creating a vibrant holiday theme. Each candy can create a different texture and design. By choosing your gingerbread house theme first, you can select the candy will better accent your design. Here are most common and popular candies which can be used to decorate a gingerbread house.

Gum Drops

Gumdrops are one of the most iconic gingerbread house candies. They are mainly used as Christmas lights, fences and colorful accents on the roof.

M&Ms

M&Ms are a must for any gingerbread house. By adding some frosting and sticking them individually on the roof, you can create colorful red and green patterns. Hershey Kisses Hershey Kisses are also one of the most popular gingerbread house candies. They can be used as roof decor, but also used to create walkways for the house.

Candy Canes

Traditional candy canes are one of the most diverse candies to use when decorating a Gingerbread house. They can be used to create heart shape windows, lamp posts with a yellow gumdrop lamp or even a supporting doorway.

Sprinkles

Sprinkles can be used in various ways when decorating your gingerbread house. The primary purpose of Christmas themed sprinkles is to add a pop of color and shapes to your theme.

Peppermints

Peppermints can be the focal point of any gingerbread house. They are usually placed right above the door or where the two roofs meet. Peppermints can also be used as the primary candy to decorate the roof.

Candy Icicles and Bricks

Candy icicles can add the winter touch to any gingerbread house. Candy icicles are used to decorate the edge of the roof and around the doors.

Snow Frosting and Confetti

Snow frosting and confetti can add an elegant touch of winter to any gingerbread house. The Snow frosting design is usually applied to the roof and walls to the gingerbread house and can be anywhere from a very simple pattern to a very intricate design. Confetti is a simple way to add color and simple shapes to your creation.

Red & Green Sour Tape

A newer candy, red and green sour tape is a great way to add texture to your gingerbread house. The sour tape is mainly used on the walls, but could also be used as grass.

Marshmallow Snowmen

By stacking a few marshmallows together, it’s easy to turn this candy into a cute snowman marshmallow. Think about adding a few of the pretzels for arms and small drops of chocolate for buttons as well.

Red & Green Licorice Candy

Red or Green licorice can be used for roof lining or general roof decor. By cutting small pieces of licorice and adding them to the roof, it can create a type a unique texture.

Of course, you don’t have to use any of these candies – take a trip to the grocery store or candy store and go wild! The best thing about a gingerbread house? It’s like your home – make it your own suited to your tastes and styles.

Perhaps, you don’t have the time to build a house from scratch but want to join in the fun? Here are two of the best kits around to help you build a beautiful one…

Williams-Sonoma Gingerbread House Kit

For a classic gingerbread house kit that includes everything you need, you can’t go wrong with the Williams Sonoma Gingerbread House Kit. It comes with pieces of freshly baked gingerbread, as well as a tray to build on, icing to use as glue, and a variety of candy for decorating, such as gumdrops and holly-shaped pieces. Each kit yields one gingerbread house that stands around 7-1/2 inches tall, and you can also buy sets of two, four, or six houses—in case everyone in your household wants to make their own.

Wilton Welcome to Christmas Mini Gingerbread Village Kit Review

With four miniature-sized gingerbread houses, you can put this kit together for yourself or turn it into a group activity! The kit includes everything you need to make the tiny buildings. The four mini gingerbread mansions are about 3-4 inches high, so the gingerbread walls and roofs may be a bit delicate, but even if the pieces break you can still enjoy the sweet treat. During our testing, we experienced the gingerbread pieces being rather hard to cut, but it could be made easier if using a serrated knife. It also comes with four types of candy and icing to decorate the houses to be as festive as you like, and you can always add on more candy to your liking! The manufacturer recommends making the houses and allowing the icing to set overnight so that the buildings stay sturdy. This edible little village is perfect for a fun holiday activity and makes small holiday centerpieces.