Gingerbread House Recipe
Build a gingerbread house from scratch with this recipe using butter, brown sugar, molasses, and spices, baked until crisp and decorated with candies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (unsalted or salted) 113 g
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 100 g
- 1/4 cup molasses 85 g
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250 g (more if dough is very sticky)
- 4 tbsp water
- candy canes
- gum drops
- sprinkles
- chocolates
Instructions
Cream butter and sugars:
In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, dark brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda until the mixture is creamy and uniform.Mix dough with flour:
Add the flour and water, then mix until a stiff dough forms. If the dough is overly sticky, incorporate additional flour as needed.Chill dough until firm:
Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes, or until it becomes firm.Preheat oven to 375°F:
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).Roll and cut shapes:
On a floured surface, roll the dough and cut out shapes using cookie cutters designed for a gingerbread house. The cutter set includes a guide indicating how many of each piece to produce (19 total cookies, though only 16 were actually utilized).Bake cookies until crisp:
Bake the cookies for roughly 10 minutes, until they are crisp.Cool components completely:
Allow all gingerbread house components to cool fully prior to assembly.Prepare royal icing:
Make a batch of royal icing to serve as adhesive for constructing the house.Assemble house with icing:
Apply frosting along the edges and base of the house pieces to join them. After the house is fully assembled, let it sit for 10 minutes to dry before decorating.Decorate with candies:
Adorn the house with various piping tips and an assortment of candies: candy canes, gum drops, sprinkles, and chocolates.