Making a Gingerbread House from SCRATCH!

Click HERE for the Youtube tutorial on how to make the dough.

Click HERE for the Youtube tutorial on how to make the icing and assemble the house!

This was my first attempt EVER at making a gingerbread house from scratch. I've always made gingerbread COOKIES, but for whatever reason was never brave enough to try for a house. Maybe it's a size thing - I think I was intimidated to make cookies SO big, that you have to GLUE with icing. Scary. I'm here to tell you- NOT scary! There are some awesome tips though, some that I read about online- and some that I discovered by making mistakes! SCROLL to the bottom to read all about it!

ROYAL ICING INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp. meringue powder

3 2/3 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup water

*recipe courtesy of Gretchen Robinson from Gretchen's Here and Now

HOW TO:

1.) Whip water and meringue powder in stand mixer or using beaters for about 2 minutes until frothy

2.) Add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 or 6 minutes

HOT TIPS:

#1 - Once you've baked your gingerbread pieces - TRIM THEM to size using the templates you created to cut the shapes out of the dough. You will be surprised to see how much the shapes have changed. THEN, you have the offcuts to crush and use the crumbs for a cheesecake crust! BONUS!

#2 - Icing too runny? Add more icing sugar. Icing too stiff, add a little more water.

#3 - Use a spray bottle to add just a *touch* of water to get the right consistency.

#4 - Use gel colours so that you're not adding any more liquid to the icing than you need to. AND, a little goes a long way.

#5 - Before you colour and put ALL your icing in the piping bags, do a test with a small amount to make sure the consistency is OK. Smooth and stiff but not TOO stiff.

#6 - Always cover your bowl and piping bag tips with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out.

#7 - Decorate your house pieces BEFORE you assemble your house. It is MUCH easier to decorate something flat than a structure! Thanks to Constellation Inspiration for this amazing tip (and check out her gingerbread houses- truly amazing!)

#8 - Royal Icing sets fast so put sprinkles on the icing IMMEDIATELY or else it won't stick well

#9 - Icing needs to be left out overnight to set completely

#10 - Stick your house down to a base when assembling. You can use cardboard or a plastic cutting board. This will make it much more stable.

#11 - For free standing structures (like my tree) attach a stand to make it more stable, I DID NOT do this and wish that I did. NEXT time!