Gingerbread House

5 from 1 vote

Skip the store-bought kits and make a homemade Gingerbread House for the holiday season. It's so much fun and these easy step by step instructions make it really easy too.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Cool completely overnight8

Total Time8 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Gingerbread House

Servings: house

Calories: 6089kcal

Author: Carrie Barnard

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup unsulphured or dark molasses
1 Tablespoon water

For the Royal Icing:

1 pound powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Milk
Various Candies for decorating

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Instructions

For the Gingerbread:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or a bowl fitted for a stand up mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy (3-4 minutes).
Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, molasses and water until combined on high speed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful to not over mix. The batter will be thick.
Place the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into 4 even discs.
Use a rolling pin to roll out each disk in between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper until it’s approximately 1/4 inch thick.
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut out shapes from the gingerbread to form into your gingerbread house. You will need 2 of each shape to make the house (2 for the front and back, 2 for the sides and 2 for the roof of the house ).
Use a spatula to transfer the pieces of gingerbread to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges of the gingerbread are just slightly browned. The gingerbread will still be slightly soft and will firm up as they cool.
Let the gingerbread cool completely overnight at room temperature before assembling into the house.

For the Icing:

Place the icing ingredients in the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
Mix the ingredients together on medium speed until stiff peaks form in the mixture.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Assemble the gingerbread house on a cake platter or serving platter. Line the edges of the house pieces with the icing and hold them together for a few minutes to allow them to dry completely. It’s also helpful to use the icing to “glue” the gingerbread pieces to the cake platter as well.
Make sure that the icing “glue” is completely dried before decorating the house.

For the Buttercream Frosting:

Cream the butter on high speed with a hand held mixer or stand up mixer until light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Gradually add in the powdered sugar until mixed and combined.
Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat together until thoroughly mixed and fluffy on a medium-high setting.
Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Decorate the house with the buttercream frosting and the candies.

Notes

The parchment paper is needed when rolling on the gingerbread dough as it will stick regardless of how much flour is used. Letting the gingerbread cool overnight is key to make sure that it does not break when the gingerbread house is assembled.

You can dye the buttercream frosting for a variety of colors if you prefer and pick candies based on your styling preferences.

We love using peppermint candies, mini candy canes, sprinkles, M&Ms and any lightweight candy that will stay on the house with the buttercream frosting.

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