Homemade gingerbread houses are a holiday season staple festooned with gumdrop gutters, cookie shingles, and fence lines crafted from candy canes. Learn how to make your own gingerbread house at home. 


Homemade Gingerbread House Recipe With 6 Construction Tips

A gingerbread house is an edible structure crafted in miniature, built from gingerbread pieces, and decorated with various confections, such as shaped fondant or [marzipan](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/marzipan-recipe), piped icing, marshmallows, sprinkles, and peppermint candies. Gingerbread houses can be simple constructions or incredibly ornate—from single-story cabins to elaborate mansions and wintery town squares. You can take your bake further by bringing a host of gingerbread people to life, along with stars, fir trees, and snowflakes to complete the spread.

The trick to making the perfect gingerbread abode is in the hidden details: The glue needs to hold, and the walls shouldn’t crumble, just like any good house. Here are some other helpful construction tips:

1. __Gingerbread houses require sturdy dough__. Unlike gingerbread men, a gingerbread house requires a sturdier dough to hold its shape. A typical gingerbread house recipe should feature less of the ingredients that make the cookie soft and chewy: [molasses](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses) and baking soda. Avoid using recipes for traditional [gingerbread cookies](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe) because the dough will be too weak for construction.
2. __Use templates__. Using a template to cut your dough instead of attempting to cut it free-hand will ensure your design fits together and stands properly. You can find these templates online or in gingerbread house kits widely available by season in grocery stores and craft stores.
3. __Leave time to chill__. When working with gingerbread, it’s crucial to chill the dough before rolling out and making your cuts. Chilled dough helps the gingerbread hold its shape as it goes into the oven, giving you the results (and shapes) you expect.
4. __Choose your glue__. In the baking world, few things are as tragic as watching a carefully constructed gingerbread house collapse under its own weight, frosting oozing out from the seams. The best way to prevent this collapse is to use royal icing as your glue. Thanks to egg whites, royal icing dries to a hard, candy-like texture. (You can also use it to create dripping icicles for the roof of your gingerbread abode.)
5. __Gather your decorations__. While waiting for your cookies to cool completely, gather all of your decorations (frosting, candies, cookies, and sprinkles) and set them up on a clean work surface. Once the cookies are ready for construction, you can get to work immediately. 
6. __Decorate the sides first__. While some people prefer decorating the house after construction is complete, decorating the side pieces (walls of each side of the house) beforehand ensures you can hit every spot with icing, without worrying about awkward angles.

Homemade gingerbread houses are a holiday season staple festooned with gumdrop gutters, cookie shingles, and fence lines crafted from candy canes. Learn how to make your own gingerbread house at home. 


A gingerbread house is an edible structure crafted in miniature, built from gingerbread pieces, and decorated with various confections, such as shaped fondant or <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/marzipan-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/marzipan-recipe","linkCopy":"marzipan","category":null}'>marzipan</a>, piped icing, marshmallows, sprinkles, and peppermint candies. Gingerbread houses can be simple constructions or incredibly ornate—from single-story cabins to elaborate mansions and wintery town squares. You can take your bake further by bringing a host of gingerbread people to life, along with stars, fir trees, and snowflakes to complete the spread.

What Is a Gingerbread House?

The trick to making the perfect gingerbread abode is in the hidden details: The glue needs to hold, and the walls shouldn’t crumble, just like any good house. Here are some other helpful construction tips:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Gingerbread houses require sturdy dough. Unlike gingerbread men, a gingerbread house requires a sturdier dough to hold its shape. A typical gingerbread house recipe should feature less of the ingredients that make the cookie soft and chewy: <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses","linkCopy":"molasses","category":null}'>molasses</a> and baking soda. Avoid using recipes for traditional <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe","linkCopy":"gingerbread cookies","category":null}'>gingerbread cookies</a> because the dough will be too weak for construction. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Use templates. Using a template to cut your dough instead of attempting to cut it free-hand will ensure your design fits together and stands properly. You can find these templates online or in gingerbread house kits widely available by season in grocery stores and craft stores. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Leave time to chill. When working with gingerbread, it’s crucial to chill the dough before rolling out and making your cuts. Chilled dough helps the gingerbread hold its shape as it goes into the oven, giving you the results (and shapes) you expect. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Choose your glue. In the baking world, few things are as tragic as watching a carefully constructed gingerbread house collapse under its own weight, frosting oozing out from the seams. The best way to prevent this collapse is to use royal icing as your glue. Thanks to egg whites, royal icing dries to a hard, candy-like texture. (You can also use it to create dripping icicles for the roof of your gingerbread abode.) </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Gather your decorations. While waiting for your cookies to cool completely, gather all of your decorations (frosting, candies, cookies, and sprinkles) and set them up on a clean work surface. Once the cookies are ready for construction, you can get to work immediately. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Decorate the sides first. While some people prefer decorating the house after construction is complete, decorating the side pieces (walls of each side of the house) beforehand ensures you can hit every spot with icing, without worrying about awkward angles. </li></ol>

6 Tips for Making the Perfect Gingerbread House

Perfect Gingerbread House Recipe

Homemade gingerbread houses are a holiday season staple festooned with gumdrop gutters, cookie shingles, and fence lines crafted from candy canes. Learn how to make your own gingerbread house at home.