Gingerbread Houses

I can remember as a child my grandmother making gingerbread houses. I was just amazed by them each year. Not only did they look beautiful but they had the smell of Christmas, sweet and spicy. After Christmas she would let us eat them. Yuk! Is what I think now but oh my when I was a kid that was heaven for sure. She did a really good job on building the houses from what I can remember. I have carried on this tradition and have made at least one house each year and many years I have made over 30 houses, yes…I have lost my mind in candy land. I made them for the whole class at school NEVER again will I do this. I have made them for all the teachers, the bad part of this is the following year word gets around like a bad rumor. As soon as a teacher is assigned to my child I will get the dreaded question ~ Are you going to make those cute little houses for Christmas this year? NO….. oh goodness where did my Christmas spirit go, out that sugar coated window. You see I put so much time into these silly little houses.

I make little Gingerbread men….

I make large Gingerbread men….

I make little gingerbread houses….

I make large ones too….

This house I decorated the inside but from the photos you cannot really tell. I put a small gingerbread in the shop. I put shelfs in the front window. On these shelfs I put all kinds of cakes and cookies. If you look really hard you can make them out. I even put lights in the house. I do think it came out really cute.

Back of house view

Side of house view…you might can make out the small gingerbread house in the back window.

Gingerbread Recipe

5 1/2 + cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup soften butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 unsulphured molasses
2 large eggs

Mix all dry ingredients well, flour and spices. Melt butter in a small sauce pot over a low heat, add sugar and molasses let cool a bit then add the eggs. Stir mixture well and add to the dry flour mixture. Mix in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment until a ball forms.

I wrap in 2 individual packages, place in the refrigerate for one hour.

Then I roll out on a flour dusted parchment paper.

Cut out into desired shapes.

Baking depends on if they are for eating or building.
Eating, bake about 15 minutes at 325.
Building 20-25 minutes at 325.

Royal Icing

3 tablespoons of Meringue powder or dried egg whites
1 box 10x powder sugar
6 tablespoon hot/warm water

Place all ingredients in a standing mixer with whisk attachment and beat for about 12 minutes until light and fluffy. It takes about 2 ~ 3 batches of icing to do one regular house.

Gingerbread House Info
I make my patterns or I get them out of books

Once I decided on a house, I copy my pattern
Cut pattern out
Make the dough
roll out and cut out pieces 2 roof sides, back, front, 2 sides

bake dough, cool
get candy for houses ~ I collect all year
get a board for house ~ I use a thick foam board
Make one batch of icing
assemble house
make another batch of icing

decorate house

This is pretty much my process ~ on an easy scale
I do collect candy all year long
My favorite books are

House Photos