When the Christmas holidays start getting close, one of my family’s favourite traditions is making the gingerbread house.
We don’t buy those pre-fabricated houses either. We make ours from scratch. It’s a lot of work, yes, but it’s also a lot of fun. If your kids like to help out they’ll have a lot of fun with all the mixing, not to mention all the lollies lying around during the whole process.
Memories filled with the spirit of the holidays and the end result? A festive, spiced gingerbread house perfect for displaying during the holidays.
The Gingerbread House
4
servings1
hour15
minutes450
kcal1
hour15
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For Gingerbread Dough:
250 g unsalted butter
200 g brown sugar
250 ml golden syrup (CSR recommended)
600 g plain flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp bicarb soda
- For Royal Icing:
2 egg whites
450 g pure icing sugar (sifted)
1 tsp lemon juice
- Decorations (optional but fun):
Lollies (e.g. Smarties, jelly snakes, freckles)
Peppermint candy canes
Shredded coconut (for snow effect)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line baking trays with baking paper.
- In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup over low heat. Stir until smooth.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, spices, and bicarb soda.
- Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and mix to form a stiff dough. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll dough out on floured surface to about 5mm thick.
- Use cardboard templates to cut shapes for the house: two side walls, front and back walls, and two roof panels.
- Transfer pieces to baking trays. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until firm and golden. Cool completely.
- For royal icing, whisk egg whites until frothy. Gradually add icing sugar and lemon juice. Beat until thick and pipeable.
- Use icing to assemble house structure. Allow to set fully before decorating.
- Decorate using lollies, icing, and coconut snow as desired.
Notes
- Chill dough before rolling to make it easier to handle.
- Royal icing sets hard and works like glue—hold pieces in place for a few minutes.
- Store in a cool, dry spot for up to 1 week.
- Kids can help decorate—set out lollies in bowls for easy access.
- Use thick cardboard templates for even shapes.
Responses to “The Gingerbread House”
How much water goes in this recipe?
1/2 cup Janey – I’ll fix this today.