Gingerbread Chalet/House Recipes & Tips

Kathleen Lange
Mar 16, 2024
7 min read

Updated: Dec 4

Gingerbread House Construction Basics

The construction of your gingerbread house closely follows the building concepts of a real house. Proper planning is essential. You can make the gingerbread ahead of time, ensuring it thoroughly cools in a dry area before securely wrapping it for storage. Allow plenty of time for assembling the baked pieces and for drying.

Simple Tips:

1. Create Templates: Cut basic structure templates for your house from poster board and test them by taping the pieces together. If it stands with poster board, it will likely be structurally safe for your gingerbread house.

2. Protect Templates: Cover poster board pattern pieces with clear contact paper or laminate them to clean and protect from stains.

3. Be Creative: Don't limit yourself to a plain box house. You can make virtually any shape, from an igloo to a Victorian or farmhouse.

4. Prepare a Base: Use a sturdy base, such as plywood covered with foil, a large heavy platter, or baking tray, to easily move the structure without base bending.

5. Consider Dimensions: The dimensions of your gingerbread house will be restricted to the size of a 12x15-inch baking sheet. Cut your templates accordingly.

6. Dough Thickness: The maximum thickness for dough should be 3/8-inch. Adjust thickness based on the size of your house.

7. Icing Preparation: Thin icing with a few drops of water if you want walls covered. Let icing dry completely before assembly. You can also cover walls with rolled fondant for a real house look.

8. Assembly Tips: Use Royal Icing as the "glue" using a pastry bag. Ensure everything is grease-free. Absorb moisture with uncooked white rice inside the house. Brush inside walls with a thin coat of Royal Icing or Candy Chocolate Coating in humid areas. Let dry before assembly. Melted Isomalt works wonderful for assembly, be very careful when working with hot sugar.

9. Stability: Apply a generous amount of icing glue to joints and press firmly. Glue walls to the base for more stability. Melted Isomalt works wonderful for assembly, be very careful when working with hot sugar.

10. Decorate: Use various decorating tips or a knife for icing decoration. Fill gaps with icing and smooth construction errors. Apply candy decorations with icing. Make dough scraps cut-outs for additional decoration.

11. Time-saving Options: If you're short on time, use cardboard and graham crackers or buy a gingerbread house kit and decorate it yourself.

Storage:

Let the house dry completely before wrapping for storage. If you don't plan to eat it, spray with acrylic spray to preserve it. Wrap and store your house using Easter Basket Cellophane Wrap found at Floral Supply Stores.

Kathleen's Favorite Gingerbread House Recipe

This is a delicious gingerbread house recipe, with beautiful spice flavor.

Ingredients

5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ginger
3 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon B & V – Butter Vanilla Powder Flavoring
1 cup shortening (or sweet unsalted butter)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups Light or Dark Molasses
2 extra-large eggs, slightly beaten

Instructions:

Thoroughly sift dry ingredients together. Melt shortening or butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Mix in sugar, molasses, and eggs, then add dry ingredients. Knead on a lightly floured surface, adding extra flour if needed.

Refrigerate dough if not using immediately. Let it soften before rolling. One recipe usually makes one house. This recipe is not only for houses but also great for eating!

Making and Baking Gingerbread:

1. Place rolling Silpat Mat on flat surface, place 11x15 parchment, lightly flour working with 1/3 of the dough at a time, flattening it on a floured surface. Roll out to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.

2. Cut out pieces for your gingerbread house using templates, being sure to cut like size pieces on same baking parchment. Large pieces bake longer, small pieces bake less time.

3. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Test for doneness by touching lightly; it should leave an imprint. Cool completely before assembling.

Bake gingerbread 24 hours before assembly for best results.

Excellent Royal Icing Products and Recipes

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Royal Icing

Royal Icing is a classic choice for covering celebration cakes, lending a formal touch to weddings, christenings, and Christmas cakes. It's applied in multiple coats, allowing each layer to dry before the next application.

The consistency of Royal Icing varies depending on the desired effect, ranging from drier for flat icing to softer for intricate piping designs.

Traditional Royal Icing recipes often use fresh free-range egg whites, dried albumen, or meringue powder, combined with icing sugar to achieve the desired consistency.

Some recipes may include glycerin for added smoothness and less hard crack stage for decorating cookies.

To prevent drying and forming a skin, cover prepared icing with cling film or (damp cloths are not needed for a royal mix, makes consistency softer) seal grease-proof container when not in use.

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Additional Royal Icing Recipes

Royal Icing Recipe -#1

Egg whites are for strength, meringue powder for volume and ease of handling, excellent for flowers and display cakes. All bowls and beaters should be Grease Free, before mixing icing.

2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, sifted

¼ cup meringue powder

3 egg whites; approx. approx. 3.5-4 ounces, plus enough warm water, vinegar or lemon juice to make ¾ cup liquid, may add extra egg white in place of water – some climates you may not have to add extra liquid.

Mix egg whites, water together until frothy; add meringue powder with confectioners’ sugar, beat on low to medium speed until icing forms STIFF peaks. (Must be kept covered with damp cloth at all times and be kept completely free of grease of any kind) Cover icing with plastic wrap until ready to use. Store icing in a glass container and use within one day or place plastic wrap directly over icing and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days; let come to room temp and re-beat icing to reuse. You will have to continue re- beating icing, when the icing begins to lose shape or design. I keep icing in Kitchen Aid bowl, covered with cloth when working on display cakes.

Royal Icing Recipe - #2

You may use this recipe if traveling to classes. This recipe is a very basic royal icing; maybe used for practicing borders and flowers, not lace work.

6 Tablespoons Meringue Powder

10-12 Tablespoons water

8 cups sifted powdered sugar (approx. 2 pounds)

Using paddle of Kitchen Aid mixer, beat water with meringue powder until blended; add powdered sugar and continue to beat at a medium speed for 7-10 minutes. (10-12 minutes for handheld mixer) Mix until icing forms peaks and doesn’t lose its shape. If icing appears too thin add more powdered sugar; if icing appears too thick add more water. Yield 3 cups.

Best Flavoring & Hints for "A Royal Mix" - Royal Icing

Perfect Palate Powder Flavors are recommended for adding flavor to "A Royal Mix."

• Coloring: Powdered colors are superior with "A Royal Mix," as they do not separate or change with age.

• Allergen Information: "A Royal Mix" contains dehydrated egg whites and is not suitable for those allergic to eggs.

• Addressing Airy Icing: Mix at lower speeds and spread back and forth with an icing spatula to remove air bubbles.

• Using Leftover Icing: Leftover icing can be refrigerated or frozen and remixed when needed. Alternatively, combine leftover icing to create delicious chocolate frosting to minimize waste:

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe - for each 1 cup icing, add 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or equivalent melted bittersweet baking chocolate, and 1/4-1/3 cup room temperature sweet unsalted butter for each cup of Royal Icing, blend until creamy. If you want creamier icing add cooled Dark Chocolate ganache or a small amount of high ratio shortening.

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