Our gingerbread house tradition

My daughter Bethany and I have a tradition of making a gingerbread house every Christmas.  It started several years ago when we visited my sister's house over the holidays. She was so sweet to share her tradition with my young daughter and myself by letting us help her make their gingerbread house.  After helping my sister, we were hooked.  We have made our own edible masterpiece every Christmas since.  Even the year we moved into our new home on December 18th we didn't let that stop us.  We may not have had all our boxes unpacked, but you better believe we made a gingerbread house before Christmas day!

For the past few years, we have been using the book, The Gingerbread Architect by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman.  I have other books about gingerbread houses, but none compare to this book. Not only does it give you inspiration, but you find the pattern for each house in the book, and a little history about the house's architecture. You also get detailed instructions, recommendations for candy to use for decoration as well as a yummy recipe for the gingerbread.  This book has patterns for simple houses as well as the more challenging.  You will know the complexity of the construction by the rating that is given in the book.  The houses are rated from one gingerbread for easy up to 4 gingerbread for more difficult.

This year, we went with the Second Empire/Mansard house plan.

The first step after deciding what house to build is making the pattern.  My daughter typically takes this task on each year.

Once the pattern is made and cut out.  It's time to make the gingerbread.  Like I said, we use the recipe in the book.  It's a basic gingerbread recipe.  Most gingerbread recipes need to be refrigerated a few hours to allow the dough to chill before you roll it out. 

Once the gingerbread is chilled, roll it out like you would sugar cookie dough.  Place the pattern over the rolled gingerbread and cut around each pattern piece using the sharp tip of a paring knife.  Bake according to recipe instructions.  Allow to cool and remove from baking sheets, lying flat until you have cut out and baked all your pieces and are ready to construct your house.

For assembly, we use royal icing.  The book also gives you an icing recipe.  This year we used a royal icing mix.  All you add is water.  It worked well.

Another helpful tip we learned to help with assembly is using straight pins.  They work kind of like nails to hold the pieces together while the royal icing dries.

Clearly, you can see we are NOT professionals!!  Our icing is messy and our seams are not clean.  We still have MUCH to learn!!!

After you get it assembled, it is time for decorating.  We generally start with the roof and work our way down.  For decorating, we use buttercream icing.  Rice Krispy treats formed into wreaths, garland, trees and bushes makes for quick and colorful decorations.

Another thing we like adding to our house is lighting.  We place a 10 watt bulb inside.  We also use crushed candy to make "windows" and bake it for around 5 minutes until candy has melted.  When it dries, it hardens into a translucent "glass" effect.

Here are a few houses from previous years.

This house was made to look like our home.  An English Tudor.

This is our attempt at a Carpenter Gothic.  We did this one 3 years ago.



Two years ago, I made my own pattern, and we made a house to look like my daughter's house, in honor of her buying her first home that year. 





Last year, we made a farm house.  I think it's one of my favorites we have ever made.

Whether you build a simple house or try for a more challenging one, the most important thing you will build is memories.  My daughter and I have built 12 years of memories now with our gingerbread houses, and I am so thankful for each one of them!