Introduction

This easy gingerbread house recipe is perfect for holiday fun and festive decorating. With spiced gingerbread pieces and sweet royal icing, you’ll build a charming centerpiece that tastes as good as it looks.

The image shows a gingerbread house with a dark brown base and a roof made of overlapping dark chocolate oval pieces. The front door is a rectangular brown cracker framed on each side with candy cane sticks and topped with colorful gumdrops in red, yellow, and green under a white icing ledge. Above the door is a round red-and-white peppermint candy. The edges of the house are decorated with white icing and small red and green dots. On each side, rectangular cracker windows have white icing grid lines and small gumdrop awnings in red, yellow, and green with white icing above. Around the base of the house, green and light yellow round gumdrops sit on a bed of white shredded coconut, creating a snowy look, with beige wafer steps leading to the door. The whole scene is placed on a white marbled surface, with a light green background. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups unsulfured molasses
3 large egg whites
Pinch kosher salt

4 cups (about 1 lb.) powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon white vinegar, lemon juice, or water, as needed
Graham crackers

Pretzel sticks
Old-fashioned chocolate wafer cookies
Candy canes and peppermints

Mike and Ikes
Nerds
Bite-size Italian wafer cookies (such as Quadratini)

Gumdrops
Shredded coconut

Instructions

Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses until dissolved.
Step 3: Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the melted butter mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until no dry patches remain. Add up to 1 tablespoon water if needed to bring dough together.
Step 4: Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead gently into a ball. Divide in half, flatten each into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 375º with a rack in the center. Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 6: Roll out one disk on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Use gingerbread house templates to cut shapes, cutting two of each. Freeze cutouts for 15 minutes until firm.
Step 7: Bake one tray at a time for about 28 minutes until puffed and firm. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 8: To make royal icing, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, mix on low until moistened, then medium for 20 seconds. Add remaining powdered sugar in batches until thick.
Step 9: Stir in vinegar a little at a time until icing reaches toothpaste consistency. Adjust with more vinegar or powdered sugar if needed.
Step 10: Transfer 1 1/2 cups royal icing to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Keep remaining icing covered to prevent drying.

Step 11: Pipe frosting along the bottom and one vertical edge of one side piece. Position on platter and hold upright. Pipe frosting along bottom of perpendicular side and attach to form a corner. Stabilize with pins or objects while icing dries.
Step 12: Repeat with remaining sides, piping generous beads on inside corners and edges. Let set undisturbed in a cool, dry place for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 13: Pipe frosting along roofline and attach roof pieces. Use supports to hold in place while icing dries for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 14: Remove supports once icing is completely dry. Decorate with candies and treats as desired.

Tips & Variations

Chill dough thoroughly before cutting to prevent shapes from spreading while baking.
Use sturdy candies like pretzel sticks and wafer cookies for structural support and decoration.

Adjust royal icing consistency by adding small amounts of vinegar or powdered sugar for easy piping or thicker glue-like texture.
For extra flavor, try adding a bit of orange zest or ground cardamom to the gingerbread dough.

Storage

Store assembled gingerbread house in a cool, dry place away from moisture. It can be kept for up to 2 weeks if protected from humidity. To refresh decorations, add fresh icing or candies as needed. Royal icing hardens and holds shape well, so reheating is not recommended.

How to Serve

A small gingerbread house sits on a white marbled texture, covered lightly in powdered sugar. The house has brown gingerbread walls with a door made of a square cracker framed by red and white candy canes, topped with small multicolored candy pieces. The roof is layered with dark brown, round chocolate cookies arranged in overlapping rows, edged with white icing. White icing dots and lines decorate the edges of the house, including a white

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I make the gingerbread dough ahead of time?

Yes, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before rolling and cutting. You can also freeze dough disks for longer storage and thaw before use.

What if I don’t have a piping bag?

You can use a small plastic sandwich bag and snip off one corner to pipe the royal icing. Just be careful to use a small hole for control.