Gingerbread HOW TO Recipes

How to Make a Gingerbread House

Gingerbread houses on a white surface with silver stars

If you’ve been following my baking adventures for awhile now, you’ll know that I absolutely love working with gingerbread, so I thought I’d share my tried-and-tested tips for how to make a gingerbread house and how to decorate it with royal icing and fondant. Plus I’ve included an option for making a homemade gingerbread house with light-up windows, too!

Learn How to Make a Gingerbread House with Me!

A few years ago during the Covid-19 lockdown (when my beloved Broadway went dark for well over a year) I spent weeks recreating the New York Theatre District in gingerbread and royal icing. I paid attention to every detail, shaping teeny tiny stage doors, fire escapes, street signs, and marquees.

In fact, some days I really wish I had this guy’s job. I just love making gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread houses on a white surface with silver stars

Gingerbread houses on a white surface

A Miniature A-Frame House

In the past I’ve made much bigger gingerbread creations, but this year I decided to go micro instead. This miniature A-frame gingerbread house measures just over 5 inches tall!

The piping requires a bit more effort (and teeny tiny piping tips!) but the smaller scale makes this project easy to finish in a day or two, rather than the weeks it takes to create large gingerbread houses. And because of the small scale, it’s also much easier to transport this house if needed. (It would make a fun centerpiece or table decoration for a party or holiday event!)

Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions (with photos) for how to make a gingerbread house like this one. Don’t feel that you need to stick to any of this too precisely; feel free to express your creativity with the piping and decorations. There is no “wrong” way to decorate a gingerbread house.

Gingerbread houses with silver ribbon and stars

Gingerbread houses decorated with purple and white icing and fondant

Helpful Tools for Making a Homemade Gingerbread House

When making this miniature gingerbread house, you’ll find it helpful to have a few special tools handy. These include:

Toothpicks or cocktail sticks
A set of fondant tools
A sharp chef’s knife, as well as a paring knife
Kitchen scissors
Wet j-cloths, or kitchen towels
Miniature cookie cutters
Piping tips and piping bags
Small stepped palette knife
Rolling mat and rolling pin
Silicone baking mats

Gingerbread houses and silver stars on white background

Top view of blue and white striped gingerbread house

Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas

For my gingerbread house, I chose white and purple fondant and royal icing, plus edible sugar pearls and silver balls. I also added a dusting of edible glitter to make the house sparkle.

However, there is no right or wrong way to decorate a gingerbread house! Use any fondant and icing colors you’d like. Vary the sizes of your piping tips, or add different fondant shapes (hearts, candy canes, stars, etc.)

When decorating your homemade gingerbread house, the possibilities are endless. Some options include:

Edible silver stars
Edible silver leaf
Christmas sprinkles
Miniature candy canes
Other Christmas candies

Two gingerbread houses and silver stars on white surface

Gingerbread houses and silver stars

How to Make a Gingerbread House: Helpful Tips and Tricks

Take the time to cut out paper pattern pieces, rather than attempting to “eyeball” or freehand these. Precision is important, and will make it much easier to fit the pieces together after baking.

Don’t skip the chilling steps in this recipe. Chilling the dough, and the cut gingerbread pieces, will prevent the gingerbread from spreading and losing its shape as it bakes.

Although I use parchment for many baking projects, for gingerbread houses I recommend silpat mats instead. The parchment can make small ridges or wrinkles in the gingerbread, while the silpat ensures a flat (and therefore much prettier) surface.

Two purple and white decorated gingerbread houses

Purple and white piped gingerbread house

Gingerbread house with striped roof and silver stars on white surface

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Making a gingerbread house is a time-consuming project, so it can be helpful to split the work into two or three days.

You can prepare the gingerbread dough up to two days in advance. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in clingfilm/plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

The gingerbread pieces can also be baked up to two days in advance, then stored in an airtight container between layers of parchment until ready to use.

For my gingerbread houses, I made the dough on day one, baked the pieces on day two, then decorated the houses on the third day.

Display your gingerbread house, uncovered, at room temperature for as long as you’d like. Do not put it in the refrigerator!

Gingerbread houses and silver stars on white background

Two gingerbread houses on a white surface

A-frame gingerbread house on white background

Notes on Sugar Windows

The hard candy windows add a fun element to this gingerbread house. They aren’t difficult to make, and require just a few ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, water, and food coloring). I also added edible glitter to my windows for a fun shimmer effect.

The recipe below will fill six approximately 1-inch gingerbread house windows, with a little bit left over for extra decorations. If you’ve created a lot of cutouts in your house, you might want to double the recipe.

Molten sugar is very hot. While kids can definitely help with decorating, the sugar step should be reserved for adults only.

If, when pouring, you drip some sugar on the house, wait until it cools completely. Once hardened, it should be easy to scrape or crack off without damaging the gingerbread.

Have a toothpick/cocktail stick handy to guide your sugar syrup into all corners of your cutouts. (This is especially necessary if using a star or triangle shape!)

The hot sugar will harden very quickly, so pour immediately!

If you’re short on time or don’t want to mess with hot sugar, you can skip this step and use fondant or royal icing to add “windows” to your gingerbread house instead.

Making a Light-up Gingerbread House

The fun thing about adding sugar windows is that you can turn your gingerbread house into a light-up gingerbread house! To do so, I suggest using small LED tea lights, or any other small LED light (I found small touch lights similar to these for £1 in a local shop). A tiny flashlight might also work.

Do not under any circumstances use a real candle. Not only will this create a fire hazard, but the heat will melt the fondant and the royal icing. Stick to LED lights instead!

Gingerbread house with glowing purple light

More of my gingerbread house adventures:

The New York Theatre District…in Gingerbread!
A Gingerbread London Pub

If you were inspired by this post, or if you make any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

A-frame gingerbread house with white and purple decorations

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Gingerbread houses on a white surface with silver stars

How to Make a Gingerbread House


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  • Author: becky
  • Total Time: 8 hours (including chilling time)
  • Yield: 3 5-inch tall gingerbread houses 1x

Description

Step-by-step instructions for learning how to make a gingerbread house and decorate it with fondant and royal icing piping. Plus a light-up option, too!


Ingredients

Scale

Gingerbread Dough:

113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
150 grams dark brown sugar (3/4 cup, packed)
100 grams black treacle (1/3 cup) or substitute molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoon whole milk
320 grams all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting countertop
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Sugar Windows (optional):

50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
50 grams corn syrup or substitute liquid glucose
15 milliliters water (1 tablespoon)
Gel food coloring
Edible glitter

Royal Icing:

200 grams confectioner’s sugar (1 1/2 cups)
1 egg white, at room temperature
12 tablespoons lemon juice, to adjust consistency
Gel food coloring

To Decorate:

200 grams fondant (2 tennis ball-sized pieces)
Silver cake decorating balls
White sugar pearls
Edible glitter
Gel food coloring


Instructions

Gingerbread Dough:

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the black treacle (or molasses), followed by the egg and milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, ntmeg, and kosher salt.

Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on medium-high speed until just combined.

Flatten dough into a large disc. Wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill, at least four hours and up to two days.

Gingerbread dough on countertop with plastic wrap

Gingerbread House Pattern:

On a piece of paper or baking parchment, draw two pattern pieces: A 3-inch x 4 1/2-inch rectangle, and a 4-inch x 4 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch triangle.

Trace two of the rectangle pieces and two of the triangles onto a piece of cardboard. Cut out, then use tape to secure the pieces together, forming a gingerbread house shape. (Don’t worry if it’s not pretty. The purpose of the cardboard house is to serve as a guide/support during assembly, and to double-check that your pieces fit together. Nobody will see the cardboard!)

Cardboard gingerbread house pattern

Cardboard gingerbread house pattern

Cardboard gingerbread house pattern

Cutting and Baking:

Line baking trays with silicone mats. (I used six small trays, but one or two large trays will work, too. Just make sure the trays will fit in your refrigerator.)

Tray lined with silpat mat

Unwrap the chilled dough and cut into quarters.

Gingerbread dough quartered on a rolling mat

Dust countertop or a silicone rolling mat with flour. Place one quarter on the floured surface, and return the rest of the dough to the refrigerator.

Gingerbread dough on floured rolling mat

Roll the dough to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. When rolled, it should be large enough to accommodate the paper rectangle and triangle pattern pieces.

Rolling pin, gingerbread dough, and pattern pieces

With a sharp knife, cut one of each shape.

Paper pattern, gingerbread, and a knife

Cutting out gingerbread house pieces

Repeat with the remaining dough quarters, then re-roll the gingerbread dough scraps. When finished, you should have six of each shape.

Transfer pieces to prepared trays.

Tray with silicone mat and gingerbread house pieces

If desired, use a small metal cutter (I chose a star) to create cutout shapes on the triangular pieces. You can skip this step if you prefer a window-less gingerbread house.

Tray with silicone mat and gingerbread house pieces

Transfer trays to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. While dough chills, preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C.

Bake in preheated oven, one tray at a time, for 15 minutes per tray or until pieces are just beginning to darken around the edges.

Tray with silicone mat and gingerbread pieces

Cool gingerbread on tray for ten minutes, then transfer pieces to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Windows (optional):

Place baked triangular gingerbread pieces on trays lined with silicone mats.

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the syrup reaches 300° F / 149° C on a digital candy thermometer.

Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring and edible glitter.

Immediately pour hot syrup into cut-out window shapes.

Allow to cool completely. Sugar will harden as it cools.

Hand holding purple sugar

Royal Icing:

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip egg white to soft peaks.

Bowl of whipped egg whites

Add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix on high speed until all sugar has been incorporated and meringue is thick and glossy, with stiff peaks.

Bowl with confectioner's sugar, egg, and mixer

Bowl of royal icing

If necessary, add lemon juice (1 teaspoon at a time) to adjust consistency. The royal icing should be pipeable, but not thin or runny.

Royal icing and bowl of lemon juice with spoon

Metal bowl of royal icing

If desired, separate royal icing into bowls and tint with gel coloring. I used white and purple, but you can add more colors if you’d like. You can also use white royal icing only.

Bowl of purple royal icing

Transfer royal icing to piping bags fitted with very small round tips. You’ll also need one slightly larger (about 1/4-inch) tip to pipe the royal icing when joining the house pieces.

Piping tips

Piping bags of white and purple icing

If reserving some of the royal icing for later, cover it with a wet j-cloth or tea towel. This will prevent the royal icing from solidifying in the bowl.

J-Cloth covering bowl of royal icing

Decoration:

With gel food coloring, tint fondant into desired colors. (For each gingerbread house, I used two tennis ball-sized balls of fondant (about 100 grams each), one purple and one white.

Balls of white and purple fondant

With a rolling pin, roll the fondant to about 1/8-inch thickness.

White fondant and rolling pin

With a sharp knife, cut the fondant into strips, each about 5/8-inch wide and about 5 inches long. (They should be long enough to cover the rectangular gingerbread piece from end-to-end, lengthwise.) I used six strips per roof piece, but you can make them wider or narrower if desired.

Cutting strips of white fondant

Cutting strips of white fondant

Cutting purple fondant on a silicone mat

Apply the strips lengthwise to the rectangular pieces, forming a striped pattern. Use your fingertips to “pat down” the fondant to help it adhere to the gingerbread.

Strips of white and purple fondant on gingerbread

Trimming strips of fondant

With a knife, trim away excess fondant from the edges

Trimming fondant strips

Pipe thin lines of royal icing to hide the seams.

Piping royal icing

Purple and white striped fondant pieces on a sheet of parchment

Set roof pieces aside to dry while you decorate the front and back of the house.

Triangular gingerbread house pieces on silicone mat

Roll additional 1/8-thick pieces of fondant. With small metal cutters, cut desired decorations. (I created a wreath, bow, and door, but you can make whatever you’d like! Windows, stars, hearts, candy canes—feel free to be creative here.)
Gingerbread pieces and fondant on silicone mat

Purple fondant and cutters

Place the fondant shapes on the triangle pieces as desired. Use your fingertips to “pat down” the fondant to adhere it to the gingerbread, then pipe royal icing as desired.

Piping bags of royal icing, bowl of sprinkles, and two triangular gingerbread house pieces

Pipe royal icing on triangular pieces, using any shapes or patterns you’d like. You can also add sprinkles, silver balls, sugar pearls, glitter, lustre dust, foil stars, or other edible decorations.

Gingerbread house piece on silicone mat

Gingerbread house pieces, bowl of sprinkles, and paring knife

Allow royal icing to dry before proceeding to assembly. (This will happen quickly, about 10 minutes).

Assembly:

Pipe thick strips of white royal icing on inner edges of one of the triangles. Join it with one of the roof pieces, holding it in place for a few minutes as the icing hardens.

Piping royal icing on a piece of gingerbread

While working, use your cardboard “house” as a guide. I found that the cardboard was also helpful in keeping the pieces upright and in place as I worked.

Gingerbread house being built around a cardboard frame

Assembling a gingerbread house on a silicone baking mat

Repeat with remaining pieces, adding more royal icing as needed to hold everything in place.

Gingerbread house being constructed on a silicone baking mat

Gingerbread house and piping bag on blue silicone mat

Set house aside to dry. Meanwhile, cut two 1 1/2-inch wide x 4-inch long strips of fondant, then use a triangle or other cutter to create a decorative edge.

Silicone mat with ruler and purple fondant

Purple fondant and a triangle cutter on a silicone mat

Place these fondant pieces on the roof to hide the top seam.

Purple and white fondant on gingerbread house roof

Covering the gingerbread house with purple and white fondant

Finish roof with additional royal icing piping or decorations.

You now have a miniature gingerbread house!

 

  • Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Chilling Time: 4 hours (dough) + 30 minutes (cut pieces)
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Miscellaneous
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Desserts and Sweets

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