Today I am making a homemade gingerbread house! Making a gingerbread house is a great Christmas activity for the whole family and easy to do. I will show you the recipe I use for the gingerbread house, how to bake it, how to make gingerbread glue, and gingerbread house icing, along with a lot of fun gingerbread house decorating ideas.
Making Gingerbread House From Scratch
Don’t be intimidated with making your own gingerbread house. I assure you it is not nearly as hard as you may think. Though it can look intimidating, I’ll show you how to make the frame, what template I use, what glue I use… and what a hot mess mine turned out. Not because of the cookies or icing, but because…I didn’t decorate it before putting it together. Which just so happens to be one of the most important tips when making a beautiful gingerbread house.
Recipe For Gingerbread House
So, first and foremost, we have to make the gingerbread house foundation. We need to use this gingerbread cookie recipe to make the walls and roof.
How To Make A Gingerbread House?
To make a gingerbread house, we are going to need to cut out the pieces. Roll your cookies to about 1/4 inch and then use this printable gingerbread house template. Then you’ll some scissors, cut out the templates and place the gingerbread house template on the dough before cutting out the pieces with a knife.
This is the free printable gingerbread house template I used.
How To Bake A Gingerbread House?
We will be rolling these cookies out fairly thin and make them a little longer. Instead of baking them for 10 or less minutes, I left them in for about 5 minutes longer. Just make sure you check on your gingerbread cookies so they don’t burn. But we don’t want soft cookies for your gingerbread house. We need them hard and crunchy.
How To Make A Gingerbread House Stick Together?
If you’ve never made a gingerbread house, I’m sure you’re wondering how in the world you make it stick together. You’re going to be making gingerbread house glue. Not to be confused with gingerbread house icing which is used for decorating and finer details.
How To Make Gingerbread House Glue
This is the gingerbread house glue I used. I won’t lie, I didn’t have meringue powder, so I whipped up egg whites. It’s thick, strong, and your house won’t far apart which is nice. I HATE when the walls won’t stay together so you have to have a thick glue.
Tip:
- 1 Egg white is the equivalent to 1 tablespoon of the meringue powder.
- Rub down your glass bowl and whisk with lemon juice to get rid of all oil. It won’t fluff up if there is a lot of oil and that includes from your fingers.
- You have to have an acid to make the raw egg whites thicken and floof. You can use lemon juice or cream of tartar. I wiped down the bowl and whisk with lemon and added some cream of tartar. It got thicker quicker.
Recipe For Gingerbread House Icing
Want to know how to make gingerbread house icing? It’s easy! This is used for decorating and finer details. I used this easy cookie icing for the decorations.
Tips For Making Gingerbread House
Here are some of the tips I have for making a gingerbread house:
- To keep the walls together put cans in front and behind the walls to keep them up until the gingerbread house glue dries.
- Let your cookie dough chill before you roll and bake it. The cookie walls and ceilings won’t puff out as much.
- Want smooth cookie edges? Use a fine grater like a zester to get rid of the rough edges.
- If you don’t want to make cookie windows and doors cut out windows.
- Melt hard candy to make colorful stained glass windows. Be careful, and allow it to full cool before handing, you can get severely burned from the molten sugar. (Gumdrops don’t melt, learned that the hard way.)
- Open up all the candies and put them in muffin trays so everyone can reach them easily.
- Piping bags are great for fine details.
- Always make more icing than you think you will need.
- If you’re adding a lot of candy, glue it on the roof and walls first before you put them on.
The tip of decorating before you put it together is so crucial. I did it with the roof and forgot to do it to the walls… so my door is mushy and the garland I tried to make…plopped down looking more like a poo.
Homemade Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas
1. Unique Roof, Tree, Doors, Windows For Your Homemade Gingerbread House
You don’t have to have a frosting roof or bare roof for your gingerbread house. You can make so many unique types of roofs. Same with the doors, trees, and windows!
2. Amazing and Dazzling Gingerbread Doors For Your DIY Gingerbread House
Use candy, icing, fondant, and sprinkles to make beautiful or themed doors for your homemade gingerbread house!
3. Add Penguins and Seals To Your Gingerbread House
Maybe your homemade gingerbread home is frigid and cold! If so, don’t forget to add these candy penguins and seals to your DIY gingerbread house.
4. Peppermint Mailboxes For Your Homemade Gingerbread House
Use tootsie rolls and peppermints to make a super cute peppermint mailbox for your gingerbread man.
Homemade Gingerbread House Ideas
5. Pretty and Colorful Candy Gingerbread House
It is so easy to make a beautiful and colorful candy gingerbread house.
6. Make A Rustic Medieval DIY Gingerbread House
Love the primitive or rustic, even medieval, appearance of old cottages? Now you can make your DIY gingerbread house look just like one!
7. Traditional Red and White Gingerbread House
Candy canes, frosting, and gum drops are just a few things you will need for this lovely traditional red and white gingerbread house.
8. Epic Gingerbread Castle
Sometimes a gingerbread house just isn’t enough. If that is the case then make an epic gingerbread castle! Use rock candy and frosting to decorate it!
9. Rustic Hunting Lodge Gingerbread House
This is my husband’s favorite! As an avid hunter and as someone who loves the woods and all things rustic, this rustic hunting lodge gingerbread house is perfect for any outdoorsman.
10. Colorful Candy and Marshmallow Homemade Gingerbread House
Use bright candies, gummies, frosting, and twisty colorful marshmallows to make this whimsical and fun homemade gingerbread house!
11. Cereal DIY Gingerbread House
Use mini wheaties and fruit loops to decorate a very large and traditional looking gingerbread house!
Making Your Own Gingerbread House
Making a gingerbread house doesn’t have to be hard. And who cares if it ends up a hot mess, part of the fun is making it, spending time with your family and loved ones…and let’s be honest, tasting the frosting and eating the candy!