Easy Gingerbread House

Name: Easy Gingerbread House
Total time: 5 h 15 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 4 2/3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface more for surface; 4 tsp. ground ginger; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. kosher salt; Pinch ground nutmeg; Pinch ground cloves; 6 tbsp. butter, melted; 1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar; 1 1/4 c. unsulfured molasses; 3 large egg whites; Pinch kosher salt; 4 c. (about 1 lb.) powdered sugar, divided; 1 tsp. 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

By Jason SchreiberPublished: Oct 28, 2021

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Erik Bernstein

Building a gingerbread house from scratch might sound like a huge undertaking when you can just reach for a kit—but it's not! It just takes some time to let all the pieces dry. You’ll need two batches of gingerbread cookie dough to make this house. To make sturdy templates, transfer the print-outs to clean corrugated cardboard. Keep your baked gingerbread cookies and assembled gingerbread house away from humidity. Read on for our best tips for baking and decorating success.

Cut the gingerbread pieces before you bake them.

Roll out the dough, then print the house template found here and use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut out two pieces of each shape. Bake.

Decorate the walls first.

It might sound counterintuitive, but heavy windows and doors are easiest to apply before you build the house, when the gingerbread pieces are flat. Let them dry a little before standing the pieces upright; otherwise your candy decorations will slide off!

Put a pin in it.

While the icing dries, secure the house by inserting T-pins through the corners (remove them once dry). Don't want to bother with pins? Place sturdy glasses or cans around the walls to hold them up.

Give everything time to set.

Allowing the icing to dry is the most important part of assembly—once it does, it'll be rock solid. This is especially true of the walls—they gotta be sturdy before you add the roof.

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Yields:: 1
Total Time:: 5 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE GINGERBREAD PIECES

4 2/3 c.
all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

more for surface
4 tsp.
ground ginger
2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp.
baking soda
1 tsp.
kosher salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
6 Tbsp.
butter, melted
1/2 c.
firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 c.
unsulfured molasses

FOR THE ROYAL ICING

3
large egg whites
Pinch kosher salt
4 c.
(about 1 lb.) powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp.
white vinegar, lemon juice, or water, as needed

FOR DECORATING

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

Directions

MAKE GINGERBREAD
1. Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.
2. Step 2In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses until dissolved.
3. Step 3Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in melted butter mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until no dry patches remain. (Add a little water, up to 1 tablespoon, to bring dough together if necessary.)
4. Step 4Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and knead gently to form a ball. Divide the dough in half and form each into a 1" thick disk then wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours, or up to 2 days. Repeat steps to make a second batch of dough.
5. Step 5Preheat oven to 375º with a rack in the center position. Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Step 6Print and cut out the gingerbread house templates.
7. Step 7Working with one disk at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1⁄4" thick. Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut around the gingerbread house templates, cutting two of each shape. (Gather and refrigerate scraps while you're working with remaining dough; they can be rerolled once.) Transfer gingerbread cutouts to baking sheets, leaving 1" of space around each, and freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
8. Step 8Bake gingerbread cookies one tray at a time, until puffed and firm, about 28 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Assemble house with Royal Icing and decorate.
MAKE ROYAL ICING
1. Step 1In a large bowl using a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar and continue mixing on low speed until sugar is moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat 20 seconds. Continue adding powdered sugar in batches until the mixture forms a thick paste. (If using a hand mixer, use a rubber spatula once mixture is thick.)
2. Step 2Stir in vinegar a little at a time, mixing well, until icing resembles the consistency of toothpaste. Adjust texture by adding vinegar or powdered sugar as needed.
ASSEMBLE THE HOUSE
1. Step 1 Transfer about 1½ cups royal icing to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and a ¼" round tip. Keep remaining icing in bowl, covered with plastic pressed directly on the surface to prevent it from drying out.
2. Step 2Pipe a generous bead of frosting on the bottom and one vertical edge of one side of the gingerbread house and position on a serving platter or board. Hold the piece upright, while you pipe a bead of frosting along the bottom edge of a perpendicular side of the house. Affix the second side of the house to the board forming a corner with the first piece. Insert T-pins through the corner to stabilize while the icing dries or place sturdy glasses or cans around the gingerbread pieces to balance. Pipe a generous bead of icing on the inside corner and bottom edge of both pieces.
3. Step 3Repeat with the remaining two sides of the house. Let stand undisturbed in a cool, dry place until the icing sets, at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
4. Step 4Pipe a generous bead of frosting along the roofline of the house. Affix the roof pieces, using T-pins or tall glasses to hold them in place while the icing dries, at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Step 5Remove when the icing has dried.

TO STORE THE GINGERBREAD

Cookies can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.

TO STORE THE ROYAL ICING

Royal Icing can be stored in a bowl with plastic pressed directly onto the surface at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.