A sugar and spice Mini gingerbread house is the ultimate holiday treat—adorable, perfectly sized, and incredibly fun to decorate. These itty bitty creations are the best for family activities, holiday parties, or even as gifts. Whether you use them as mug toppers, create an edible village, or let everyone build their own, these mini houses add a magical touch to the season.
Making a gingerbread house has always been a tradition in my family but these mini gingerbread houses are a fun twist on the classic house. They're small enough to sit on the rim of a hot cocoa mug yet big enough to put on display on a Christmas charcuterie board.
The thing I love most about these mini houses is their versatility. Unlike larger houses which can sometimes feel daunting, these small houses are more manageable for everyone. Plus, the smaller size means you can make multiple houses with different decorations.
Why you'll love homemade mini gingerbread houses
- The dough is versatile: the dough doubles as a delicious base for any shape cookie, making it as versatile as it is festive.
- Perfectly sized: Big enough to easily decorate, but small enough for everyone to have their own individual house.
- Fun for all ages: A great activity for kids and adults alike. With endless decorating possibilities, enjoy the fun with a cranberry mocktail that's also fun for all ages.
- Make ahead option: Prepare the dough or cookies in advance and store until you're ready to assemble.
What you'll need to make mini gingerbread houses:
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the dough. Unsalted butter is best for a consistent flavor.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and helps it bake to a crisp texture.
- Light Corn Syrup: Makes sure the dough is easy to work with.
- Molasses: Essential for that deep, signature gingerbread flavor just like in these frosted gingerbread cookies.
- Honey: Adds a subtle natural sweetness and softens the dough for easier rolling.
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice create the warm, festive flavors we love.
- Salt: Enhances the spices and balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: A necessity for all baking.
- Water: Helps bind the dough together.
- Flour: The structural base of the cookies—use all-purpose or gluten-free flour for a 1:1 swap.
For the Royal Icing:
- Meringue Powder: Stabilizes the icing and helps it dry hard for assembling and decorating.
- Powdered Sugar: Creates a smooth, pipeable icing—sift it to avoid clumps.
- Water: Adjusts the icing’s consistency as needed.
- Cream of Tartar: Strengthens the icing and prevents it from becoming grainy.
- Vanilla & Almond Extracts: Add a touch of flavor to the icing.
Can I make these gingerbread houses gluten free?
Yes, you can make these mini gingerbread houses gluten free by swapping all purpose flour with gluten free all purpose flour. I think that King Aurthor's gf flour or cup for cup works well.
How to make a mini gingerbread houses from scratch
The wet ingredients: Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, then mix in corn syrup, molasses, honey, water, and spices.
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The dry ingredients: Whisk together flour and salt, then gradually add to the wet ingredients, alternating with water.
Combine: Knead the dough until stiff, adjusting with more flour or water if necessary, and chill for 20 minutes.
Roll and cut: Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness, cut out house shapes using a template, and re-roll scraps as needed.
Bake: Bake pieces at 350°F for 10 minutes, then at 300°F for another 10 minutes, until firm.
Decorate: Add designs with royal icing and sprinkles before assembling the house, letting pieces dry completely.
Assemble: Use royal icing to glue walls and roof pieces together, supporting with jars or cans until set.
Final Touches: Thin royal icing for piping details like icicles or intricate designs and decorate to your liking!
What candies work best for decorating?
Since these are mini houses, it's best to stick with small decorations. I like to use mini m&ms, colored icing, sprinkles, and edible beads. You can also use powdered sugar for snow or even coconut flakes.
Make ahead and Storage
Storing leftovers: Store mini gingerbread houses at room temperature as long as the holiday season lasts. If you're hoping to eat the gingerbread houses, they're good for up to 3-4 days. After that, they're best as decoration.
Make ahead: Store the gingerbread dough in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. Make sure it's in an airtight container or ziplock baggie. If freezing, let it thaw in the fridge overnight then roll and cut when you're ready to bake.
More Christmas Recipes You'll Love
- Easy Christmas Popcorn
- Christmas Reindeer Chex Mix
- Christmas Oreo truffles
- Charcuterie Chalet
- Christmas tree cheese ball
Sugar and Spice Mini Gingerbread House Mug Toppers
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 teaspoons ginger
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 tap cloves allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cups water
- 6 cups flour
Royal Gingerbread Icing
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
- Cream, the butter, vanilla and sugar.
- Beat in the corn syrup, molasses, honey, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and allspice.
- Add the flour and water slowly alternating between them.
- Knead the dough adding more flour or water as needed. Dough should be stiff enough for rolling
- Chill dough for 20 minutes then and create a cutting template using parchment paper. Be sure to leave a divot in the bottom of the house so you can place the house on the side of the mug.
- Using the parchment paper template, roll out the dough until it's about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut out the pieces of the house.
- Bake at 350° on parchment or a lightly greased baking sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 and bake another 10 minutes. You want the dough to be hardened so that you can easily make it into a gingerbread house.
- Decorate your pieces before assembling the house, so you don't risk breaking the house while trying to decorate.
- Make sure to use internal support to keep the gingerbread house standing and show pictures of that as well.
Royal Gingerbread Icing
- Combine the meringue powder, water, and cream of tartar and mix until the powder dissolves completely.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar beating on low speed.
- Once all powdered sugar has been added, turn to medium speed and beat for four minutes, scraping the sides occasionally until icing is fluffy.
- Add extracts and mix gently.
- Cover with a damp cloth to keep from hardening and use right away.
- This is the icing you use to cement everything together.
- To pipe decorative lines on the assembled house, or to make hanging icicles add some of this frosting to a cup and add drops of water one by one until it’s the consistency you’re looking for.
Chandice Probst says
These tiny gingerbread houses are so cute and perfect on hot cocoa mugs! They are also great for a little decorating parties.