When the holiday season comes around and it’s time to make festive treats, gingerbread is one of the first that comes to mind. Its warm, spiced flavor is comforting and perfect for the colder months. Decorating gingerbread houses is a staple wintertime activity, and whether the sugary, spiced dough is made from scratch or bought ready-made, it gives you a blank canvas to work with to construct a house or decorate gingerbread men.
The first gingerbread recipe is thought to be from Greece, but bakers in France, Sweden, and Germany are also credited with originating versions of gingerbread. The idea of a gingerbread house first spiked in popularity due to the Brothers Grimm’s story Hansel and Gretel, where the witch’s cottage in the story was made of cookies and candy meant to lure the children to her. The whimsical imagery sparked the interest of audiences, transforming gingerbread houses into the classic emblem of the holidays that they are today. It is a beloved tradition for many, and has even developed into contests that people enter to showcase their creations. The National Gingerbread House Competition, held annually in Asheville, North Carolina, highlights the most elaborate and creative gingerbread structures from across the US and Canada.
When making a homemade gingerbread house, choosing the correct gingerbread recipe is important because it must bake into a sturdy structure that will hold up when decorated. To achieve this texture, adding less butter and leavening agent like baking soda can be effective. Butter makes the cookie more tender and baking soda makes it lighter which is ideal for eating, but not as much for construction purposes. To cut out the shapes of the house, you can follow a template like this one from Sally’s Baking Addiction and use a pastry or pizza cutter. Precision is necessary when shaping the gingerbread to ensure that all of the pieces will align when it is formed. Allowing it to fully cool once it’s baked is also key to making sure the house is structurally sound.
Royal icing usually serves as the glue that holds up the house and the exterior decorations. It is made from egg whites and powdered sugar, and dries quickly after it is piped, which makes it perfect for constructing the house. Piping out a small amount at first and then adding more if needed is helpful so that the house isn’t weighed down by additional icing. Once the icing sets, the decorating can begin! Classic candy varieties for gingerbread houses are gumdrops, peppermints, or chocolates, but there are endless other options that can add color and detail to your design. Nerds, cereal pieces, sprinkles, or Twizzlers are some other options that work great for adding features to a gingerbread house like windows, garlands, or roof tiles.
Opting for a gingerbread house that is already prepared is a great option as well, although you might be sacrificing the flavor that you would get from making your own. If DIY isn’t as much of your thing, a trip to Target has everything you need. Their range of gingerbread houses and kits include mini gingerbread cottages, a log cabin, a Christmas beach house, and Santa’s donut shop, so everyone can choose something unique to decorate.
Ultimately, the perfect gingerbread house is up to your own imagination–whether it is a traditional design or a more creative innovation. The secret to success includes forming and assembling the house with care, and of course having fun with the decorations to let your inner gingerbread artist shine through!