Christmas Gingerbread House
Here is the first of several gingerbread houses I have planned to share with you. This is a great size for decorating, not to big and not too small. It took only a couple of hours to put it together and decorate it. I still want to make a garland to decorate the front of this one and was waiting until I made some more frosting as the ones I made for this broke because I didn’t use parchment paper to make them on.
Here are tips to making a gingerbread house in case you have never made one.
Schedule:
1st Day – Bake the house -You can also make the accessories (trees, bushes, wreaths, ect.) if time permits.
2nd Day – Assemble the house and let dry. Decorate your house later in the day or on another day.
Candy and Decorations:
Starlight Candies
Candy Canes
M&M’s
Christmas Hard Candies
Tootsie Rolls – make a logpile
Chuckles – Sled seat – use small candy canes for runners and a licorice whip for the rope
Red and Green Gumdrops
Cinnamon Candies
Necco Wafers
Chocolate nonpareils
Pretzels – make a good fence
Large Marshmallows – bushs
Ice Cream Cones – Trees – use Wilton tip #74 for both trees and bushs
Cereal for the roof also is cute
Don’t limit yourself to this list, the possibilities are as endless as the candy available where you live.
I show how to construct a gingerbread house over at Razzle Dazzle Recipes.
Royal Icing
You will need 2 recipes of this depending on what you do
3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
6 tablespoons water
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes (10-12 minutes at high speed for portable mixer) until icing forms peaks. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth when not in use.
Yields 3 cups of icing.
Note: Royal icing should have good body and be moderately stiff: It will not create a lasting bond if too runny and soft. For snow, I sometimes add a few drops of Karo Syrup to thin it just a little for a softer look.
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup solid white shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups molasses
- 2 eggs beaten
- Thoroughly mix together the flour, soda, salt and spices.
- In a saucepan melt the shortening. Let cool slightly and add the sugar and molasses. Add eggs when cool.
- Add the oil mixture to your mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 4 cups of the flour. Mix together thoroughly. Add remaining flour a little at a time to make a stiff dough.
- Roll out the dough on the back of greased cookie sheets to about 1/8th inch thick. Lay your pattern pieces on top and cut out with a knife or pizza cutter. Place cookie sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 6 minutes for smaller pieces and up to 12 for the larger pieces like the roof. Let set on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Let pieces dry overnight before assembling.
See some of our other gingerbread houses.
Christmas Gingerbread Farmhouse
Oreo Balls Frozen Gingerbread House
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