I have wanted to make some Homemade Gingerbread Houses for a long time and finally had the chance last week. I’m especially grateful to my mother-in-law for lending me several gingerbread house books and sharing her trusted recipe. She has made more gingerbread houses than I can count, so her experience was a huge help.
Table of Contents
- The 5 Keys to Building a Successful Homemade Gingerbread House
- Should You Decorate a Gingerbread House Before or After You Build?
- Decorating Gingerbread Houses with Candy
- Download this FREE Gingerbread House Template and Step-by-Step Guide!
- The Best Order to Build Your Gingerbread House
- Additional Gingerbread House Building Tip
- Enjoy More Fun Tutorials from Beyond the Butter®!
- Homemade Gingerbread Houses Recipe
The 5 Keys to Building a Successful Homemade Gingerbread House
- Use a reliable gingerbread dough rolled evenly for cutting,
- Use a clear gingerbread house template and step-by-step build guide,
- Make royal icing with a glue-like consistency,
- Allow ample drying time, and
- Have patience—lots of patience.
This gingerbread house dough comes together quickly and has a rich flavor thanks to full-flavored molasses. I rolled the dough to an even 1/4″ thickness, which provided good structural strength for the pieces.
Royal icing is essential for a sturdy build. It should be thick enough to act like glue: too thick is hard to pipe, too thin will run. While the dough and icing are straightforward to make, building the houses is the part that takes the most time. Each section needs plenty of drying time—rushing will likely cause collapse—so plan for that and be patient.
This recipe is flavorful and can be eaten, but the tutorial is designed primarily for creating gingerbread houses as decorative displays. If you do intend to eat them, enjoy them within a day or two and store them properly to prevent drying out.
Should You Decorate a Gingerbread House Before or After You Build?
That choice is up to you. I decorated each panel before assembling, but decorating after construction works equally well. If you have young children who enjoy decorating but aren’t ready for building, assemble the houses first and then let them decorate the finished walls and roofs.
Decorating Gingerbread Houses with Candy
There are countless decorating options. Keep the scale of your decorations in mind relative to the size of the house. My houses were small, so I used tiny decorations: red and green sparkling sugar, small round candy, miniature candy canes, blue-and-white snowflake sprinkles, and small candy cane sprinkles. I also piped a little red-colored royal icing for wreath berries.
Other good options include M&Ms, gumdrops, crushed candy canes, licorice, and mini peanut butter cups. If you’re looking for inspiration, browsing Pinterest will yield plenty of creative ideas. Don’t forget to save the design templates you like for future use.
Download this FREE Gingerbread House Template and Step-by-Step Guide!
The Best Order to Build Your Gingerbread House
Decide whether you’ll assemble on a cardboard base (useful for gifts) or build directly on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. I built mine on a jelly roll pan to make cleanup easier, to use them as cake toppers, and to photograph them without a base.
- Step 1. Start by attaching the front panel and then add each side one at a time, using royal icing as glue. I waited about an hour between adding pieces so each seam could dry.
- Step 2. Add the back panel next and allow it to set for about an hour.
- Step 3. When attaching the roof panels, provide temporary support under the roof edge so the panel doesn’t slide. Use spare gingerbread pieces, books, or cardboard—anything stable that will keep the roof in place while the icing dries.
Additional Gingerbread House Building Tip
If you have pets that jump onto tables or counters, keep your houses well out of reach while they dry. It’s heartbreaking to find a pet has knocked over your work—learned from experience!
Enjoy More Fun Tutorials from Beyond the Butter®!
Candy Cane Hearts
How to Decorate a Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sprinkled Heart Cupcakes Tutorial
Rainbow Donuts
If you tried this Homemade Gingerbread House Tutorial or another tutorial on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and share your thoughts in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Gingerbread Houses
Ingredients
homemade gingerbread houses
- 5 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Gingerbread Spice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Full Flavor Molasses
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- Candy Decorations
royal icing
- 8 tbsp Water
- 3 tbsp Meringue Powder
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Homemade Gingerbread Houses
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, gingerbread spice, and salt. Set aside.
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In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the granulated sugar and molasses, stirring until combined, then remove from heat.
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Slowly pour the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula until the dough starts to form, then finish mixing by hand until the flour is absorbed. The dough will firm as you work with it.
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Adjust the oven rack to just above center and preheat to 350ºF.
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Line baking sheets with parchment. Roll dough on a floured surface to 1/4″ thickness and cut pieces using a gingerbread house template or cutters. Transfer carefully to the prepared sheets.
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Bake at 350ºF for 12–15 minutes (12 minutes worked for me). Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Let pieces dry for several hours or overnight in a warm, dry place before building.
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See the step-by-step build guide for assembly tips. You can decorate panels before or after building.
Royal Icing
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Beat the water and meringue powder on high until frothy. On low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. When all sugar is incorporated, beat on high until the icing is smooth.
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The icing should hold like glue and slowly fold back into the bowl when lifted. If it blends back immediately, it’s too runny; add powdered sugar to thicken. If too stiff, add 1 tsp water at a time to reach the glue-like consistency.
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Use a piping tip (No. 6 is a good size) to “glue” pieces together. For detailed decorations like wreaths, smaller tips or piping bottles work well.
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If icing dries in the tip, clean with a toothpick or damp towel, then shake the piping bag or bottle to resume piping.
Notes
- This gingerbread is flavorful and edible, but the tutorial focuses on creating decorative houses. If you plan to eat them, enjoy within a day or two.
- For the best results, pieces should be very dry and firm. Any retained moisture can cause the structure to weaken over time.
- Use royal icing rather than buttercream or shortening-based frostings. Royal icing dries hard and holds the house together much better.
- If you make a piping mistake, gently wipe it away with a slightly damp paper towel and try again.
- You can pipe wreaths on wax paper, let them dry, and then attach them to the house with royal icing.