We’re officially 24 days (and counting) away from Christmas and we say it’s never too early to kick off the festive season with your friends & family! So, what better way is there to share the festive cheer than to bake & make your very own gingerbread house!?

⚠️CAUTION⚠️

Extremely likely to cause tons of fun & laughter and a eye-watering amount of cleaning! You’ve been warned!

What you’ll need:

Gingerbread

2 cups butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup molasses

1 cup dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons lemon zest (Optional)

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground mace (Optional)

12 cups all-purpose flour

Icing

1 (16 ounce) package confectioners’ sugar

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 drop white vinegar

What you’ll need to do:

Step 1:

Cover a piece of heavy cardboard with aluminum foil or freezer paper, dull-side up, to make a base for the gingerbread house.

Step 2:

Cut templates for the gingerbread house out of heavy cardboard or cardstock; label each piece.

Step 3:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 rimless baking sheets (or the back of rimmed baking sheets).

Step 4:

Combine butter, brown sugar, molasses, and dark corn syrup in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat; stir until melted, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and mace until blended, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 5:

Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir into the butter mixture 2 cups at a time, mixing the last 2 cups by hand to create a warm, firm mass of dough. Place a large handful of dough on a greased baking sheet; roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Keep the remaining dough covered.

Step 6:

Dust cardboard templates lightly with flour and place on top of dough; cut around templates with a sharp knife. Cut out doors or windows as desired. Cut shutters, door knobs, or other features from the scraps. Return remaining scraps to the covered pan.

Step 7:

Bake in the preheated oven until firm and slightly browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes for small pieces and 12 to 15 minutes for large pieces. Remove from the oven and place templates over the baked pieces; trim excess with a sharp knife to produce clean edges.

Step 8:

Cool pieces on the baking sheet until firm, 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 9:

Combine confectioners’ sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and white vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until icing is stiff and shiny, 7 to 10 minutes.

Step 10:

Stick candies and decorations over gingerbread pieces using royal icing. Let icing dry until hardened, about 5 minutes. Assemble gingerbread house pieces using icing. Let stand until the icing is dry, about 5 minutes.
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