Tips and Tricks for Building a Gingerbread House (2024)

Tips and Tricks for Building a Gingerbread House (1)

There’s nothing better than a beautiful gingerbread house. But building it can be tricky. Get some helpful tips and tricks from at C&H® Sugar.

Tips and Tricks for Building a Gingerbread House (2)

C&H® Gingerbread House Hacks

Who doesn’t love a good gingerbread house? This beautiful treat is fun for kids to make and is a classic staple in homes during the holiday season. Now building it, on the other hand, that can be a different story. Despite your best-laid plans, sometimes, these holly jolly creations just don’t turn out the way you had envisioned. But have no fear. With the rightC&H®recipesand a few tips and tricks, you’ll be crafting your merry and bright masterpiece in no time at all.

Five Gingerbread House Hacks You Have to Know

1. Start with a Plan

Gingerbread houses take careful preparation and a clear vision. So, before you get started, you may want to draw it out on paper first. We recommend measuring your gingerbread house on parchment paper, so you know how much cookie batter you’ll need. This will ensure you don’t run out of supplies midway through building and decorating your sweet creation.

2. Make the Perfect Gingerbread

Your gingerbread house is only as good as the materials you use to make it. We recommend creating your walls and roof with ourGingerbread Cookiesrecipe. This festive recipe made withC&H®Dark Brown Sugarwill give your structure plenty of strength. Just cut your cookies to the desired shape, toss them in the oven, and ta-da, you’ve created the rich, flavorful foundation for your winter wonderland.

3. Fit Everything Together with Melted Sugar or Royal Icing

When it comes to sticking your walls and roof together, there are two great approaches. The traditional technique is to use icing, such as ourRoyal Icing (with Meringue Powder). Generations of home bakers have used this tried-and-true method, and it works like a charm and tastes amazing. The second way is to use burnt sugar as your glue. Just meltC&H®Pure Granulated Cane Sugarin a pan on the stove, dip the gingerbread parts in and hold them together for a few seconds. Then, presto! You’ve created a solid house.

4. UseRoll-up Fruit Leatherfor Stained Glass Windows

We’ve all spent too much time trying to create frosting windows in the past. Instead, try usingRoll-up Fruit Leather. This creative gingerbread house hack looks just like stained glass.

5. UseButtercream Frostingfor Paint

Filled with the delightful flavor ofC&H®Powdered Sugar, our Buttercream Frosting is wonderful for decorating gingerbread houses. You can color it with food dye to transform your yuletide creation into any hue you want, or leave it white to turn your gingerbread house into a snow-covered winter cottage.

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Tips and Tricks for Building a Gingerbread House (2024)

FAQs

Tips and Tricks for Building a Gingerbread House? ›

Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!

What holds gingerbread houses together the best? ›

Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!

Should you decorate or assemble a gingerbread house first? ›

Before you jump to assembly, consider decorating your gingerbread-house cookies straight out of the box. We like this technique specifically for creating doors and windows, which can be hard to trace on an assembled house—piping icing onto a flat cookie from above can be far easier than doing so from straight on.

What is the key to gingerbread house? ›

Keys to gingerbread house success

Make the pieces as straight as possible for easier assembly. Use a royal icing recipe that holds up well and dries hard. Follow the recipe exactly for best results. If you double the recipe, expect it to take twice the time to make.

Why does my gingerbread house fall apart? ›

Let it dry

“Most gingerbread disasters, collapses, and frustrations happen because the icing hasn't had an adequate amount of time to dry. It's not always easy for kids to be patient, so it's a good idea to have some other activity lined up in between steps to distract kids while they're waiting to work on the house.”

What is the best binder for gingerbread house? ›

Royal icing with meringue powder is perfect for a gingerbread house because of its consistency. It dries hard, and fast, making sure that your house won't break or fall apart. It's perfect not just for decorating, but for setting a strong base for your house.

How to stick sides of gingerbread house together? ›

Pour sugar into a heavy pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts and liquefies - about 5 to 10 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning, and be very careful handling it because it is extremely hot. Use to glue gingerbread cookie or graham cracker pieces together to make candy houses.

How do you keep a gingerbread house from collapsing? ›

To avoid gingerbread house catastrophe, you want to assemble the walls first with STIFF royal icing and then let it dry for an hour. This ensures the walls will be strong enough to support the weight of the roof and all the candy you add on top!

What are rules for gingerbread house? ›

Rules & Requirements
  • * All houses must have at least : 4 walls, 1 roof.
  • * All house foundations (walls & roof) must be constructed using gingerbread.
  • * All decorations, props and house must be constructed with edible materials. ...
  • * Boards/ Trays/ Platters/ or Plates holding your house must not exceed 18” X 18”

How do you join a gingerbread house together? ›

Pipe generous snakes of icing along the wall edges, one by one, to join the walls together. Use a small bowl to support the walls from the inside, then allow to dry, ideally for a few hours. Once dry, remove the supports and fix the roof panels on.

How do you attach decorations to a gingerbread house? ›

To attach the decorations, turn them over to their flat side and use the Royal Icing as glue. They're very light, so just a touch will do it. Gently press the decoration into place and hold it for a minute or so. It should stick right in place.

How long does a homemade gingerbread house last? ›

Most recipes are edible for at least a week, some longer. Julia has this great tip: surround the house with piles of gingerbread cookies made with softer icing, which will stay tasty (and keep you away from the dentist's office) longer. Note: Julia is the creator of this amazing Gingerbread Lighthouse.

What is the tradition of building gingerbread houses? ›

Bestgingerbreadhouses.com stated that the tradition of gingerbread houses began with the making of gingersnap cookies and was started in Germany. Gingerbread houses in Germany originated from bakers interpreting the description of a house from the story Hansel and Gretel.

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