Building and decorating gingerbread houses is a popular Christmas tradition for many families. Sometimes it’s hard to know if more candy ends up on the house, or in the children’s stomachs. My children always added landscaping around their houses, to insure they had a plentiful supply of candy throughout the holidays.

Gingerbread houses have evolved over many years. Ginger, a spice from the far east was first used to make spiced honey cakes and the English created ginger candy. When bread crumbs were added, gingerbread similar to what we know today was born.Medieval ladies gave gingerbread cakes to their favorite knights. Different shapes had different meanings, i.e. the heart was used to ward off evil. Craft people created special baking molds in the shape of animals, fish, etc. Today gingerbread houses and cookies remain very popular.

Recipe to Make Your Own Gingerbread Houses

Multiply the following recipes to fit the size of your gingerbread house. You will need 2 to 3 of the following recipe for each house that has sides and roof that are 6 to 8 inches wide. We’ve also got a template you can use for a 5 x 6 inch house (my gingerbread template).

Ingredients for Gingerbread House

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3 and 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 sp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/3 cup water

Directions for Gingerbread House

• Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly with an electric mixer.
• Beat in molasses.
• Blend all dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients to the butter-sugar batter, alternating with water.
• Dough will become stiff and last batch of dry ingredients may need to be blended by hand.
• Work dough until it is smooth in consistency.
• Once dough easy to work, roll out on the back of a cookie sheet working from the center to the sides. Placing a damp towel under the cookie sheet will help stop it from moving.
• Lightly dust the rolling pin and coating the cookie sheet with vegetable oil can also help.
• Place house pattern pieces on gingerbread and cut out using a bread knife: 2 each – front/back of the house, sides and roof.
• Bake gingerbread in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, testing to be sure it’s cooked.
• Let the gingerbread cool for a few minutes before moving to cookie racks to completely cool.

Recipe for Royal Icing

• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites
• Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes (longer for portable mixers), until icing forms peaks.

Ideas for Candy Decorations

• Candy discs (Necco wafers) make great roofing shingles.
• Wafer cookies and bite size Shredded Wheat are also good roofing materials.
• Licorice comes in all shapes and sizes, i.e. the rope can be used like holiday lights on your house.
• Gum drops are generally available in holiday colors.
• Bright colored candies like peppermints, M&Ms, Skittles, etc are some of the kids favorites to eat and decorate.
• Candy canes large and small are very useful in landscaping your house.
• Ice cream cones make great trees around the house.
• Save a little powered sugar to sprinkle on the trees and ground around the house.

Note: Gingerbread houses can be made in different sizes and shapes. Some communities will build villages that include a school, churches, stores, a farm and other assorted buildings. For school groups, you can also build

Author: tinagleisner: Tina Gleisner is passionate about helping women home owners LEARN about their homes, CONNECT with home professionals committed to delivering quality home products, and CREATE homes that support their lifestyle. Leveraging her experience as the owner of a handyman business, Tina created the Assn of Women Home Owners at www.HomeTips4Women.com.