Gingerbread Houses have long been one of the sweetest traditions of the winter holidays.
Whether you are building it for a competition or just for some fun, gingerbread houses look as delicious as they taste! However, gingerbread house-making can cause a lot of frustration.
Frustration for a broken structure, lack of creativity, or for an inability to eat all the candy! To help with that frustration, we have built a step-by-step guide on how to have sweet success with any gingerbread house you make.
Step #1: Gather your supplies
Gingerbread house supplies depend on how you plan to make your house. You can either bake your gingerbread from scratch, buy some dough, or buy a house kit with premade gingerbread to make it easier.
TIP! If you bake your gingerbread from scratch, cut the cookie 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven to the desired shape, and then let it cool for 30 minutes before moving it.
Additionally, you need a surface to build your gingerbread house on. We recommend a cutting board or a piece of cardboard. As for frosting, you can’t use any regular recipe.
You need a special thick icing recipe; we recommend this recipe from Food.
This frosting acts almost as glue, holding everything in place. Last but certainly not least, you need your favorite candies to help build the most beautiful winter scene!
TIP! Use shaved coconut on top of your house to make it look like snow.
Supplies needed for a Gingerbread House:
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Gingerbread Ingredients, Dough, or Premade Kit
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Work surface (we recommend a cutting board)
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Frosting (we recommend this recipe)
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Candies of your choice!
Letting your gingerbread house set before you start decorating is extremely important for success because building off a strong base is essential for a sturdy home.
Tip! Make sure to put frosting in all the crevices of your house so that it is sturdy.
Step #2: Make it Home SWEET Home
TIP! Let your building sit for an hour before adding any candy.
Now it is time to put the best finishing touches on your gingerbread house: the candy!
To do this, make sure to get creative. It never hurts to find inspiration from Pinterest.
We also recommend using some candies that you wouldn’t expect within a gingerbread house, but here are our top 10 classic candies for gingerbread houses to get you started.
Our Top 10 Candies for Decorating Gingerbread Houses:
- Christmas Spice Gumdrops
- Christmas Holly Leaf Assortment
- Brach’s Peppermint Christmas Nougats
- Red & Green Holiday Gummi Rings
- Brach’s Miniature Candy Canes
- Old Fashioned Christmas Candy Mix
- Peppermint Starlight Mints
- Semisweet Chocolate Nonpareils
- Candy Building Blox
- Peppermint Mint Straws
We look forward to building our delicious gingerbread houses each year, so we hope you enjoy our super-sweet tips for success!
