How to Build a Gingerbread House

• Also Try: Gingerbread House

Introduction

• The best Christmas craft projects are the edible ones, and none is more scrumptious than the traditional gingerbread house. Assembling a gingerbread house isn't as hard as it looks. A few gingerbread walls, some vanilla-flavored mortar and a dash of creativity, and you've got yourself a gingerbread dream home for the holidays.

Step 1: Make the Dough

• The walls of a gingerbread house are essentially cookies with some extra flour in the mix. The additional flour makes them sturdier than your average gingerbread man.

Ingredients You'll Need 6 3/4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour 1 1/2 Cups of Sugar 3 Eggs 3/4 Cups of Dark Molasses 1 1/2 Cups of Solid Vegetable Shortening 4 1/2 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Salt 3/4 Teaspoons of Ground Cardamom

Equipment You'll Need Sifter or Whisk Mixing Bowl Electric Mixer Rolling Pin Large Plastic Bags or Plastic Wrap

1. Sift or whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into a bowl. Set the bowl aside.
2. Using the mixer, beat the shortening until it takes on a fluffy consistency.
3. Add sugar and beat until blended.
4. Beat in one egg at a time.
5. Add molasses and beat until blended.
6. Add the dry ingredients in slowly. Beat at a low speed until a dough forms.
7. Divide the dough into 6 same-sized pieces.
8. Flatten each piece into a rectangular shape.
9. Wrap each rectangle in plastic.
10. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.

Step 2: Make a Template

• To make a gingerbread house, you'll need to create or download a gingerbread house template. The templates are essentially roof and side wall stencils used to cut the dough before baking it.

Equipment You'll Need

• 6 Cardboard Sheets (Approximately 15x15 Inches)
  • You can use the kind of cardboard sheets that bakers rest cakes on for decorating or any kind of medium-weight cardboard. If you don't have cardboard, you can use paper. Just keep in mind that paper can be harder to cut around than stiff cardboard.
• Scissors
• Marker
• Downloaded Template

Gingerbread House Checklist

• 2 Long Side Walls
• 2 Gable End Walls (Walls with a point on the top to support the roof)
• 2 Roof Panels

1. Download and print a gingerbread house pattern. Simple Recipes offers this basic roof, gable wall and side wall pattern.
   • A complete list of gingerbread house template resources can be found in the Resources section of this page.
2. Trace the printed template onto your cardboard.
3. Cut the cardboard to make your gingerbread house stencils.

Step 3: Cut and Bake the Dough

• Now it's time to put those stencils to work, and if you have some seasonal cookie cutters lying around, you can make a tasty cookie or two out of the scraps.

Equipment You'll Need

• 1 Roll of Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheets
• Sharp Knife
• Holiday Cookie Cutters (Optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take 1 piece of dough out of the refrigerator.
3. Place the dough between 2 15-inch-long sheets of parchment.
4. Roll out the dough.
5. Turn the dough and parchment over periodically.
   • If the parchment wrinkles, peel off, smooth the wrinkle and reposition the parchment over the dough.
6. Place one of your roof or wall stencils on top of the parchment paper and dough.
7. Cut around the stencil with a sharp knife.
8. Peel the top sheet of parchment off the dough.
9. Pull excess dough away from your gingerbread house piece.
10. Slide the gingerbread house piece on the bottom layer of parchment onto your baking sheet.
11. Repeat the rolling and cutting process for the remaining 5 pieces of your house.
    • If you have any extra dough, use it to make extra shapes for your house. Stars, Christmas trees or gingerbread men are a good choice.
12. Bake your gingerbread house pieces in the preheated oven for 9-13 minutes.
    • The pieces are done when the edges begin to darken and the center is firm to the touch.
13. Allow to cool completely before you begin construction on your gingerbread dream house.

Make a Gingerbread House with India Galyean.

Step 4: Make the Icing

• The mortar for your gingerbread house is called "royal icing." Royal icing is a combination of egg whites, confectioners' sugar and an acidic ingredient (usually lemon or cream of tartar). You can save the icing for a long period of time, but it needs to be covered tightly because otherwise it will dry quickly.

• This recipe will yield approximately 2 1/2 Cups of Royal Icing.

Ingredients You'll Need 3 Egg Whites 1/2 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar 1 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice 4 Cups of Confectioners' Sugar Vanilla, Peppermint or Lemon Extract (Optional)

Equipment You'll Need Mixer Pastry Bag or Plastic Bag

1. In the bowl of the mixer, whip together the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Sprinkle in the sugar gradually. Add the lemon juice. Continue whipping.
3. Whip until icing is stiff. The stiffer the icing, the faster it will harden.
4. If you are ready to assemble your house, put the icing in a pastry bag. If you are still waiting for the walls to cool, save the icing in a tightly-sealed plastic bag.

Alternate Recipe

• Using uncooked, unpasteurized eggs is considered unsafe by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As an alternative, you can make Royal Icing with meringue powder, which is essentially dried egg with sugar and gum added.

• This recipe will yield approximately 3 Cups of Royal Icing.

Ingredients You'll Need 3 Tablespoons of Meringue Powder 1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract 1/2 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice 4 Cups of Confectioners' Sugar 1/2 Cup of Warm Water

Equipment You'll Need Mixer Pastry Bag or Plastic Bag

1. In the bowl of the mixer, whip together the sugar and meringue powder.
2. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
3. Add the water. Beat for approximately 5 minutes or until stiff peaks begin to form.
4. If you are ready to assemble your house, put the icing in a pastry bag. If you are still waiting for the walls to cool, save the icing in a tightly-sealed plastic bag.

Step 5: Assemble the House

• Assembling your gingerbread house will take a couple of days because your walls need to be cemented before you slap the roof on top. So, be sure to give yourself enough time for the construction phase of your gingerbread home away from home.

What You'll Need

• Gingerbread House Walls and Roof
• Royal Icing in a Pastry Bag
• 1 Stiff Cardboard Sheet for the Foundation of Your House
• Props to Support the House During Construction (Ex. Soup Can, Phone Book, Additional Cardboard, Glass of Water, Etc.)

1. Pipe a generous line of icing along the bottom of one of your side walls.
2. Stand the iced wall up on your cardboard foundation. Hold the wall upright, or set it against a soup can or glass of water to hold it up.
3. Pipe another line of icing along the bottom inside edge of the wall to reinforce it.
4. Repeat this process with all the walls. Be sure to put a generous line of icing wherever two walls meet.
5. Be sure that the walls are at right angles before the icing hardens. (A cereal box is a great way to check.)
6. Set the house aside overnight and allow the icing to harden. (This can take 4 to 12 hours depending on the consistency of your icing.)
7. Pipe one of your roof panels with a generous helping of icing.
8. Affix the panel to the house. Use a prop (such as a cup) to keep the panel from sliding down the side of the house.
9. Pipe around the roof panel's seams.
10. Allow the icing to harden for at least an hour before repeating the process with the second panel.
11. Allow the icing to harden for another 4 to 12 hours before decorating.

Step 6: Decorate the House

• The only rule to decorating your gingerbread house is that all the decorations be edible. Raid the candy aisle, and get creative. You can have cotton candy smoke coming out of your house's chimney, and gingerbread men throwing mini-marshmallows at each other's heads. The only limit is your imagination.

What You'll Need

• Royal Icing
• Assorted Candies and Sweets (Gumdrops, Ice Cream Cones, Candy Canes, Nonpareils, M&Ms, Etc.)
• Powered Sugar for Snow

Decorating Ideas

1. Create a snowy landscape by putting a thin layer of royal icing on the cardboard around your house and covering with powdered sugar.
2. Cut fruit roll-ups into shutters for windows. Glue on the house with royal icing.
3. Use Necco wafers or frosted shredded wheat squares as roof tiles.
4. Line candy canes along the four corners of the house.
5. Drip icing from the roof of the house to create icicles.

Ice Cream Cone Trees

1. Turn an ice cream cone upside down.
2. Glue green gumdrops cut in half to the cone with royal icing.
3. Dot with dragees for ornaments.

Gingerbread People

1. Use royal icing to glue mini-marshmallows to the back of gingerbread men's legs. They act as a "kickstand" to prop the people up.
2. Place the people in your house's front yard.

Resources for How to Build a Gingerbread House

• • Mahalo's Guide to Gingerbread Houses
• Epicurious.com: Gingerbread House
• Recipezaar: Gingerbread for Houses
• Food Network: Gingerbread House  
• Simply Recipes: How to Make a Gingerbread House
• All Recipes: Children's Gingerbread House
• BobVila.com: Building a Gingerbread House (2004)
• Betty Crocker: Gingerbread Village
• GingerbreadCottage.com: Constructing a Gingerbread House
• MarthaStewart.com: Gingerbread House Kit

Gingerbread House Templates

• Simple Recipes: Roof - Sides - Front and Back
• PastryWiz: Gingerbread Templates and Patterns
• Kung Foodie: Patterns for Gingerbread Houses & Beyond (December 6, 2006)
• Santa's Workshop: Gingerbread House Patterns

Gingerbread House Template PDF Files

•   WARNING: The following links open as PDF files.
• BobVila.com: A-Frame, Colonial, Saltbox, Side Gable
• HauntedDimensions: Disneyland Paris Haunted Mansion Template - Photo
• King Arthur Flour: Building a Gingerbread House Instructions and Template

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