Homemade Gingerbread House Recipe (that anyone can make!)
There's something special about making a homemade Gingerbread House. The smell of warm spices filling the kitchen, decorating with colorful candies, and setting your delicious masterpiece on display creates a magical holiday tradition that brings joy to everyone who sees (and tastes) it. This is a no-fail recipe that anyone can make!
Servings: 1 house
Calories: 9317kcal
Cost: 13
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 cup water
- 6 cups flour
Royal 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.
- 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 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.
Notes
Tips for making a sturdy gingerbread house
- Roll the dough evenly: You want the dough to be at a uniform thickness of about 1/4 of an inch to promote even baking and consistency. This will help the house hold up when assembling as well.
- Avoid overloading with decorations: If you're decorating with kids, this can be challenging but too many decorating can lead to an unstable house. Stick to a few small decorations if possible.
- Use a template: Use a well designed template to ensure that all pieces fit perfectly. You can find a template easily online or make your own using parchment paper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1house | Calories: 9317kcal | Carbohydrates: 2059g | Protein: 80g | Fat: 101g | Saturated Fat: 60g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 244mg | Sodium: 2645mg | Potassium: 5109mg | Fiber: 29g | Sugar: 1446g | Vitamin A: 2885IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 574mg | Iron: 43mg