How to Make a Homemade Gingerbread House with the Best Frosting Ever

Take your gingerbread houses to the next level with the best homemade frosting on the planet.

Homemade gingerbread houses can seem a daunting task. You are probably not the only person to think so. And with all of the Christmas baking that is on your list these might seem pretty low priority. But with a little help in the frosting department, you can turn that mediocre cookie house into a true gingerbread masterpiece.

Each year at Christmas time my mother makes gingerbread houses for all of the grandkids. And we're not talking pre-made kits or graham crackers. Though there is nothing wrong with that! She makes the real stuff: homemade molasses dough, cutting out pieces by hand and gluing together.

How can anyone not be impressed by these baking skills? But the real contender is the icing. If you can master the gingerbread frosting, you are set for decorating. Follow along to learn how you can become a gingerbread baking expert.

The Best Frosting Ever

These gingerbread houses are out of this world amazing, but the frosting is the most important part. Key note to remember. Crappy frosting = crappy houses. It's true! After lots of experimenting we finally have frosting that is the perfect consistency and texture.

This frosting is incredibly awesome.

• It goes on soft, but dries hard!
• You can use it to make small icicles that stay up.
• Hold candies in the frosting so they won't slide around or fall.

Homemade Gingerbread House Frosting

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 pound of powdered sugar

Step 1 - Combine and Mix Ingredients

Combine your egg whites, cream of tartar and powdered sugar together in a large bowl or stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip your frosting until it makes peaks that will stay up. 

Step 2 - Cover Your Frosting

When your frosting has peaked, keep it covered inside the bowl with a damp cloth until ready for use. If it is not covered it will dry out and harden too soon.

Step 3 - Prep Frosting for Use

An easy way to get frosting ready for use it to put it in piping bags. If you don't have these on hand, a cheap substitute is a good quality Ziploc bag that has a pointy corner. Believe it not, some off-brand Ziplock bags have a folded square corner instead of pointed. Make sure to get the right one!

Take a spoon and fill your Ziploc bag with a good amount of frosting. Close it so it is tightly sealed and then use scissors to cut off a small corner on the bottom of the bag. This will create your hole needed for piping out frosting easily onto your houses or cookies.

 

Homemade Gingerbread House

Ingredients:

• ½ cup oil
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup molasses
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• 2 ¾ - 3 cups flour

Step 1 - Mix Ingredients and Chill

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl or stand mixer. I love to use my KitchenAid, but a hand mixer would also work. Chill dough for two hours in the fridge. 

Step 2 - Roll Out Dough

Grease pan. Place dough onto a cookie sheet and use a rolling pin to roll it out as smooth and flat as possible. Add a sprinkle of flour on top of the dough.

Step 3 - Cut Dough into Shapes

Cut the raw dough into your house shapes without removing any of the dough from the pan. Create a paper pattern to use for the best results.  

Step 4 - Bake House

Bake your gingerbread house 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 and decorating.

Flashback to far too many Christmases ago with my oldest assembling one of her very first gingerbread houses. This has been one of our favorite family traditions.

These houses always turn out so cute. And what a fun tradition to do with your family or friends every year. This frosting is also fantastic for plain gingerbread men too.  If you don't have a homemade gingerbread house frosting recipe that you love, give this one a try.

Baking more for the holidays? Try out the yummiest snickerdoodles ever. Or this easy peppermint bark that all of your chocolate lovers will enjoy.

Happy Baking!

Brooke