Gingerbread house

Gingerbread house

A gingerbread house is fun and nostalgic for both kids and adults. Get your kids in the kitchen and make a fun, beautiful, Christmassy gingerbread house that you can use as a decoration and snack. It smells terrific like pure holiday spirit and is an excellent way of involving the kids in the gingerbread house decorations. Let your imagination run wild when decorating the house, light it with a candle and sprinkle it with sugar 'snow'. Use your favourite candy for the gingerbread house decorations so everyone will want a taste and a look at the beautiful house.
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Instructions

Gingerbread dough:
  • Melt brown sugar, syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Heat to boiling point – without boiling. Add milk and spices and stir well.
  • Mix baking soda with flour in a bowl and pour in the hot sugar mixture. Mix the dough well, put it in a bag, and flatten it.
  • Leave the dough to rest in the fridge for at least 2½ hours.
Roll and cut out:
  • Leave the dough at room temperature for about ½ hour before use. This will make it easier to roll out.
  • Preheat oven to 200°C regular oven.
  • Divide the dough into two parts. Sprinkle some flour on the table and roll out one dough thinly (about 3 mm) to a square shape on a piece of baking paper.
  • Place the cut-out templates on the dough and cut out the pieces with a small sharp knife. There will be enough for a roof panel, a facade, and a gable on each sheet in one dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  • Remove excess dough and divide between 2 baking sheets.
Candy windows:
  • Place the crushed sweets in the squares. Bake the cakes in the middle of the oven for approx. 14 minutes. Ovens bake differently, and it is important that the cakes are crispy. Pay extra attention to the cakes at the end of the baking process, so they do not turn too dark.
  • Let the cakes cool on the baking tray until the candy mixture has set. Transfer the cakes to a baking tray and leave to cool completely.
Icing:
  • Beat the icing sugar and egg white together until fluffy.
Liquid caramel:
  • Melt the sugar in a pan over moderate heat until it caramelises – without burning it.
  • Reduce the heat to low and keep the caramel liquid.
Building the gingerbread house:
  • For these steps, an adult is required, as the house is glued together with liquid hot caramel.
  • Place one gable on a surface where the house can stand.
  • ‘Glue’ facade 1 onto gable 1 by putting liquid caramel on the short side. ‘Glue’ gable 2 and facade 2 on using the same method.
  • Put liquid caramel on both ends of one roof panel and ‘glue’ it to the house. Repeat with the last roof tile. ‘Glue’ the door on.
  • Decorate the gingerbread house with icing in the joints of the house and make icicles on the roof if you feel like it. Decorate with sugar balls and chocolate buttons, for example. You can also decorate each side of the house before ‘gluing’ everything together.
Enjoy!
Tips

Although requiring some construction work, the dough itself is quite easy and can be made well ahead of time. It should be refrigerated for 2½ hours – but you can make the dough one or more days in advance, so it is ready for use when you have the time to start baking and constructing.

Tips

To get the perfect gingerbread house, make sure to cut each part precisely. If in doubt, and if the templates are not enough, use a ruler to make sure everything is even. Sharp edges and even sides will make it easier to ‘glue’ the house together and create a beautiful look.

Tips

The caramel is important to ‘glue’ the house together. If the caramel has been reduced too much, it will be too hard to work with. Add a little water and mix it all together to get the right texture for ‘gluing’.

Questions about gingerbread house

Making a gingerbread house is no simple task, but with our gingerbread house recipe, cut-out templates and decoration ideas, you will have everything you need for an afternoon of DIY fun. Below you can learn more about this holiday classic and how to make a beautiful gingerbread house that will last all December long.

How to make a gingerbread house?
Making a gingerbread house takes time and patience, but with our recipe, you will have it down just in time for the Christmas season. Combine the ingredients for the gingerbread dough, put it in a bag, flatten it, and let it rest in the fridge for about 2 ½ hours. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before using it, making it easier to work with. Roll out the dough on a piece of baking paper and use our cut-out templates to cut out the pieces for your house. Once all the pieces are cut, place crushed sweets into the window squares and bake all the gingerbread pieces for about 14 minutes until they are crispy – but do not let them turn too dark. Let the cakes cool until the candy mixture has set as stained-glass windows. Assemble the house by gluing the pieces together with liquid caramel and decorate the gingerbread house with icing and candy.
How to make royal icing for a gingerbread house?
Royal icing is easy to make, and you only need two ingredients: icing sugar, water, and egg whites. Beat the two ingredients together until you get a fluffy mixture. Use the icing to glue candy to the house and give the house a snowy look. You can also use food colouring to give the icing a more vibrant and festive colour.
How to decorate a gingerbread house?
Once the gingerbread house is assembled, you can start decorating the house any way you like. Use fluffy marshmallows or coconut flakes to create a winter wonderland. Place M&Ms or gumdrops along the roof to add colour to the house. Is it really Christmas without candy canes? Glue some candy canes on the sides of the house. You can also add sprinkles, sugar bells, liquorice, edible beads, or Oreos. So, raid your candy drawer and get started!
How long does a gingerbread house last?
Gingerbread houses can last about 3 to 4 weeks, depending on how it is prepared, how much icing and what kind of candy you have used. After that, it will start to lose its taste and go stale. So, if you plan on eating the gingerbread house, you should do so within the first week. The best way to determine if it is still edible is to do a taste test.
Can you eat a gingerbread house?
A decorative and festive gingerbread house is almost too pretty to eat. But if your house is made from edible ingredients, you can eat it. The gingerbread and candy will become less tasty and stale when left sitting out for several weeks. Thus, you should eat it within the first week if you want to enjoy a piece of your gingerbread house.
How to glue a gingerbread house together?
Every house needs sturdy walls! Caramel is perfect for keeping your gingerbread house in one piece, as it acts like a hot clue. And the only thing you need is heat and sugar. Melt the sugar until it becomes golden-brown and turns into caramel – do not let it burn. Reduce the heat and keep it liquid while putting together the house. For assembling the house, put the liquid caramel on the sides of the gingerbread pieces and hold it firmly together for a few seconds until the caramel cools and hardens. But be careful not to burn yourself; the liquid caramel is hot and should not be handled by children.
How to store a gingerbread house?
Making a decorative and festive gingerbread house takes a lot of time and hard work, so it would be a shame to let it all go to waste in a matter of days. If you store your gingerbread house properly, it can last throughout the holiday season and still look perfect. Display it somewhere cool and dry, and make sure to cover it at night using cling film. This will keep moisture and dust away.

Ingredients

Gingerbread dough:
Brown sugar
175 g
Dark syrup
125 g
Butter
75 g
Milk
100 ml
Ground ginger
2 tsp
Ground cinnamon
2 tsp
Ground cloves
1 tsp
Ground cardamom
1 tsp
Ground white pepper
½ tsp
Baking soda
2 tsp
Flour
425 g
Candy windows:
Crushed sweets
Decorative glaze
Icing sugar
200 g
Pasteurised egg whites (approx. 45 g)
3 tbsp
Sugar balls
Chocolate lentil
Liquid caramel
Sugar
75 g
Decorations:
Bismarck sticks ( red/white peppermint sweets )
Icing sugar
Other recipes
See more

Homemade spiced gingerbread house

Gingerbread houses are popular Christmas decorations covered with a variety of candy and icing, making it almost impossible for anyone with a sweet tooth to walk by without having a taste. But what is gingerbread without spice? Our recipe uses a combination of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and white pepper. The warm aroma and taste of these spices will make your gingerbread house as delicious as it is festive. Make this classic recipe with the family to get into the holiday spirit.

Try these crispy and spicy gingerbread cookies if you want a different kind of edible Christmas decorations without the construction works. For a soft, spicy, chocolate-covered treat, try our beautiful gingerbread cake hearts.

Decorative royal icing and delicious candy

There is only one rule when it comes to decorating gingerbread houses – have fun! Royal icing is the perfect glue for adhering candy to the roof and sides of the house. For our gingerbread house icing, we use egg white instead of water, giving the icing just the right ‘glue’ effect and shiny look. It is easy to decorate with icing as it dries quickly.

Let the royal icing gently drip off the sides while it dries to create a peaked snow effect. Add some colour to your house with gumdrops, chocolate, sprinkles, lollipops, and candy canes. Let your imagination run wild and use your favourite candy to make a festive house, everything ‘glued’ to the gingerbread house with icing. You can even decorate with non-edible things like cinnamon sticks.

Experiment with themed imaginative decorations

Gingerbread houses are a true eye-catcher at any holiday party. It would be a shame only to enjoy these festive and decorative treats once a year, and you can easily decorate them for any given season or holiday. Here are some gingerbread house ideas to get you inspired.

Christmas gingerbread house

This is possibly the most popular of all gingerbread houses and is associated with Christmas traditions. Go with a classic red and white colour scheme and decorate with typical Christmas treats such as candy canes and fudge. Not festive enough? Gather all your sweets and decorate the house with colourful candies. Use different colours to create a tiled roof; it will brighten your holiday. Not even Hansel and Gretel would be able to resist the array of candy glued to your house.

Halloween gingerbread house

Try your hand at a haunted Halloween gingerbread house and decorate it with your favourite autumn-coloured candy; it is the perfect autumn treat. Line the roof with black liquorice and use royal icing to make spiderwebs on the sides of the house.

Make a haunted house with ghosts made of marshmallows and a ‘face’ made of black icing. And of course, you cannot make a Halloween-themed gingerbread house without some orange in it. Use food colouring to make orange, black and purple icing. To get more vibrant colours, use gel-based food colouring. And do not worry if the house looks crooked or wonky; it adds to the spooky elements.

Easter gingerbread house

How about making an Easter gingerbread house for the Easter bunny to live in? Easter is the perfect time of year to decorate a gingerbread house as you get to use all your colourful candy from the Easter bunny. Use pastel-coloured Smarties and mini eggs for decorating, sticking them to the house with yellow and green icing. It will look lovely as a centrepiece on the Easter table, perfect for displaying the guest of honour, the Easter bunny.

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