This Is the Best Gingerbread House Icing

When it comes to holiday traditions, few are as architecturally complex and hands-on as building a gingerbread house. (Here is our guide for everything gingerbread!) Whether you use a kit or bake the gingerbread from scratch, one of the most important, if not the most important, elements is the icing. Set yourself up for success with the best gingerbread house icing, and you’ll have a masterpiece in no time.

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Country Woman

Gingerbread FarmNot every gingerbread house idea needs to be a house. This gingerbread barn is the perfect setting for cookie creatures of all kinds.

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Gingerbread Lodge

With a little effort, a basic A-frame gingerbread house kit becomes this snowy ski lodge. We used candy rocks for the exterior, rolled wafer cookies for exposed beams and a heaping helping of royal icing and coarse sugar for the snow-kissed rooftop.

Home Sweet Home Gingerbread CottagePull out all the stops when creating your gingerbread house! Use shredded wheat cereal as shingles, candy canes as decorations and all your other favorite Christmas candies.

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Gingerbread Cabin

Who wouldn't want to curl up in this cozy gingerbread cabin? A basic A-frame kit gets dressed up with shredded wheat cereal, pretzel rods and candy rocks. Our favorite embellishment is the mounted candy "antlers" on the front door, made from a chocolate disc and broken pretzel pieces.

Christmas Tree CookiesComplete your gingerbread house village with plenty of festive trees. These cutout cookies can be finished with white frosting and sprinkles to look like they've just been dusted with snow.

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Gingerbread House with Chimney

Santa will be happy to land on the rooftop of this cute gingerbread house made from an A-frame kit. The impressive chimney made from graham crackers, icing and red chewy candy is just big enough for him to slide down.

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Christmas Village HousesBring some holiday magic to your home with these cute creations. You don't even need to make gingerbread! Break out a few boxes of graham crackers and get buidling these mini cottages.

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Gingerbread ChaletFor a more modern twist on gingerbread house ideas, try a monochrome look. This snowy chalet layers different white textures to create a winter fantasy.

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Taste of Home

Gingerbread Snow GlobeLooking for a twist on typical gingerbread house ideas? Turn your favorite cutouts into a sweet scene inside an oversized jar. Nestle tree-, animal- and house-shaped cookies inside to make a snow globe. This is an innovative way to decorate gingerbread cookies and show off your collection of cookie cutters.

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Taste of Home

Christmas CottagesTo put a simple spin on the traditional gingerbread houses, use chocolate graham crackers. To make your gingerbread party go a bit more smoothly, assemble the homes in advance and spend the party decorating.

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Christmas Candy TrainMake way for holiday gifts! This cookie train can be made with gingerbread or graham crackers. Fill each boxcar with your favorite candy. Make tracks to wind through your gingerbread town.

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Gingerbread Christmas CottageThis sweet cottage is quintessential Christmas. Make sure you have plenty of gumdrops on hand to finish this centerpiece.

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Gingerbread Country ChurchFor a stained glass effect, melt hard candies into the windowpanes. Just crush your favorite flavors and sprinkle into the gap. Just five minutes in the oven at 350ºF is all you need to make these windows.

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TMB Studio

Marshmallow Snowmen

No winter village is complete without a few snowmen! Add these marshmallow decorations to your list of gingerbread house ideas. Use a skewer to stick a few marshmallows together, then pipe on the eyes and nose. To create snow piles next to your snowmen, use white chocolate chips!

Christmas Gingerbread HouseKeep your house simple by sticking with a simple icing and one or two types of candy. For this recipe, just grab a bag (or two) of holiday M&M's.

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Stacked Christmas Tree CookiesUse scraps from your gingerbread houses to make easy stacked Christmas trees. Use green sprinkles or sugar to make them look like evergreens. Extras like these will really make your gingerbread village look complete.

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Winter Wonderland Gingerbread CottageChallenge yourself with this topsy turvy house! Expert builders will want gingerbread house ideas that go beyond basic right angles like this one. Don't forget to finish the scene with plenty of happy snowmen and holiday decor.

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Taste of Home

Gingerbread House CookiesIf you love the idea of gingerbread houses but don't want to tackle building a 3D structure, just make a batch of your favorite cutouts! With a house-shaped cookie cutter you can get that gingerbread house look without all the effort. Pipe on doors and trim to complete the look (feel free to add candy, too!).

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Gingerbread House Icing

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 4 to 5 tablespoons warm water
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar, water, meringue powder, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer at low speed.
2. Beat on high speed for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. You’ll be looking for stiff peaks (check out our guide!) when you lift the beaters from the bowl.
3. Transfer your icing to a pastry bag with your desired tip for icing.

Storage Tip: Cover any excess icing with a damp paper cloth, and if necessary, beat the icing on high to restore its texture before adding to the piping bag.

Why Does It Work?

This icing recipe, also known as royal icing, makes a great mortar to hold your gingerbread house together. It’s also ideal for making sugar decorations. Historically, royal icing covered fruitcake to keep it moist. Fruitcake is traditionally the wedding cake of English royalty, giving the icing its name. As it dries, it hardens to a candy-like consistency, ensuring your house stays up until after the holidays.

With this icing on hand, along with an array of other building materials, you’ll be ready to create a beautiful and festive centerpiece for your table or host your own gingerbread house decorating party. Happy building!

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