Gingerbread Houses {best frosting ever}

My mother makes gingerbread houses every year for the kids. And I don’t mean the pre-made kits you buy at the store (although there is nothing wrong with that if that’s your thing!) She makes the real stuff: homemade dough, cutting the pieces out by hand and glueing them together. So how can I not be impressed with her skills?! Each year my kids look forward to going to Grammy’s to make gingerbread houses!

Homemade Gingerbread Houses (AKA the Best Frosting Ever)

The gingerbread houses are amazing, but the frosting is the most important part. So, key note to remember >>> Crappy frosting = Crappy houses. It’s true! After lots of experimenting we finally got it just right!

You can make small icicles with it and it also drys hard! Perfect for adding little candies that you don’t want falling all over the place.

FROSTING

3 egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tarter
1 pound of powdered sugar

Combine everything together and using a hand or stand mixer, mix until your frosting makes peaks. Also, be sure you keep your frosting covered with a damp cloth. If you don’t it will dry out and harden.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Ingredients

1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
2 3/4 – 3 cups flour

Mix all ingredients together and then chill for two hours. Place dough onto a cookie sheet, then roll it out as smooth as possible. Also add a sprinkle of flour to the top. Cut the raw dough into your house shapes (without removing any dough from the pan). Create and use a paper pattern for best results. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, cut the dough again and remove the edges. Bake for another 10 minutes. Allow pieces to cool before assembling.

Flashback to this cutie far too many Christmases ago assembling one of her very first gingerbread houses. This has been one of our favorites traditions.