When my children when they were toddlers, I started decorating gingerbread houses with them. That’s another way of saying that I have 20 + years experience in decorating gingerbread houses. So I am passing along my tips and tested recipes. Hoping they will save you some time and money.
Building with Royal Icing – the secret to building gingerbread houses is the Royal Icing. The Royal Icing recipe’s powdered sugar/egg white ratio needs to be just right!I’m sharing 25+ years experience of decorating and planning gingerbread house parties! With these tips you will be ready to host the most spectacular holiday party!
Back when my children were toddlers, we started our holiday tradition of decorating gingerbread houses. In the beginning, the gingerbread houses’ walls would not stay together. So we supported them with soup cans until the Royal Icing set. That’s when I started testing Royal Icing recipes.
After years of trial and error, I discovered the perfect Royal Icing! So without further ado, here’s my tried and true Royal Icing recipe . . .
He shares about his days of seminary. He admits, “It was hard.” One day, he thought “You moron, you should be grateful.”
Look at all of your blessings. Fr. Joshua says, “We shouldn’t be fools.” He continues, “We should have gratitude.”
Back at home, I’m sitting in my office, writing a Gingerbread House blog post. Decorating gingerbread houses is one of my favorite holiday traditions. Writing a blog post about it is hard. It’s boring. I would much rather be sewing a dress or baking a cake. My thoughts drift back to Fr. Joshua’s homily, I focus on gratitude.
I’m checking all of the blog boxes – key phrases, alt tags, pixel size, eternal links, internal links, etc. the list is long. Suddenly, I notice a GREEN LIGHT by the SEO box. I have been blogging for ten years. This is the first time to get a SEO green light. I am so excited! I sense a connection between gratitude and this first-time accomplishment.
Build it and they will come – just like Iowa farmer Ray(Kevin Costner) hears a mysterious voice in the cornfield saying “If you build it, he will come” in the movie, Field of Dreams. Build it(the gingerbread houses) and he(friends & family) will come to decorate and celebrate!
Weeks before the holiday party, be sure to start baking the gingerbread houses. The gingerbread dough is easy to make and they are easy to build. However, they take a little bit of time. No need to worry if the gingerbread houses will keep. They will keep for weeks, even a couple of months.
If baking the gingerbread houses seems too ambitious, buying gingerbread house kits is a great option. Either way, be sure to bake some gingerbread chimneys. When it’s time to decorate the gingerbread houses, top off the chimneys with cotton candy for the ‘smoke!’
This is a great recipe for gingerbread boys. It's easy to work with, never crumbles and the cookies turn out perfect each time!
Prep Time20minutes
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1cupsugar
1 cupshortening
1cup molasses
2large eggs
1T. ground cinnamon
2t.ginger
2t. cloves
2t.baking powder
1t. nutmeg
1t.baking soda
1t.salt
Instructions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients.
Beat the ingredients until well mixed.
Divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in wax paper. Chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350º.
On a lightly floured Silpat® baking mat, roll out half of the dough tp 1/4" thickness. With the gingerbread house cookie cutters, cut out each section - 2 roofs, 2 sides, front, back and chimney pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Slide the Silpatº baking mat with the cut out house pieces directly onto a flat cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 - 24 minutes until firm but not too browned.
Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack for cooling. Immediately, recut with the house pieces with the cookie cutters. This provides very straight edges!
After the house pieces set a bit, 4-5 minutes, remove from cookie sheet and place directly on the wire racks to cool completely.
Decorating with Lollipop Ponds will add color and a pop to your gingerbread houses. Your friends will LOVE them. Most likely, they will think that you worked for hours making them.
Just in case you are short on time, no worries. Decorating with Lollipop Ponds is a snap! The Lollipop Ponds may be made ahead too.
I’m sharing 25+ years experience of decorating and planning gingerbread house parties! With these tips you will be ready to host the most spectacular holiday party!
Recent Comments