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gingerbread house recipe

Gingerbread House Recipe

The best construction gingerbread house recipe. Super strong, great for cutting out intricate templates and does not spread when baking. This recipe is enough to make three gingerbread houses using the gingerbread house template included 
4.95 from 129 votes
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Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Chilling: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Serves: 3 gingerbread houses
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Gingerbread House Recipe

  • 28 oz (850 g) AP Flour
  • 3/4 tsp (3/4 tsp ) cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) ginger
  • 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) cloves
  • 3/4 tsp (3/4 tsp) salt
  • 7 oz (198 g) vegetable shortening
  • 6 oz (170 g) granulated sugar
  • 16 oz (454 g) molasses
  • 1 Large (1 Large) egg
  • 5 crushed jolly ranchers or isomalt for the windows

Stiff Royal Icing Recipe

  • 16 ounces (454 g) powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 ounces (57 g) pasteurized egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer with paddle and whisk attachment
  • Piping bag and tips

Instructions

For The Gingerbread House

  • Sift your dry ingredients together, set aside
  • Microwave vegetable shortening (or melt on stovetop in pot) until liquid but not hot
  • In a stand mixer, whisk shortening, sugar and molasses together. Add the egg and mix until combined
  • Switch to the paddle attachment and add your dry ingredients. Mix on medium/low until a smooth ball starts to form, do not over mix
  • Roll out dough onto parchment paper or a baking mat to 1/4" thick. Try to make the dough as even in thickness as possible. 
  • Freeze dough for 20 minutes (optional) 
  • Cut shapes out using your templates. Remove excess dough (can be used to re-roll out and make more pieces)
  • Bake in an oven set to 300º F for 50-60 mins until very firm
  • Once gingerbread is done, remove from the oven and let fully cool before moving. Your gingerbread is now ready to be assembled. 

For The Royal Icing

  • Combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attached. 
  • Mix on low to get the ingredients combined then bump up to high for 1-2 minutes. Add in your vanilla extract and whip until it's white. No need to mix for longer than 5 minutes. 
  • Place the royal icing into a bowl or container with a lid. Your THICK royal icing is now ready to be thinned down to the consistency you desire. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 112kcal (6%) | Carbohydrates: 19g (6%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 3g (5%) | Cholesterol: 3mg (1%) | Sodium: 32mg (1%) | Potassium: 129mg (4%) | Sugar: 8g (9%) | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 19mg (2%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)