Although my house is a lovingly restored mid-century modern home in Sarasota, Florida having been built in 1957, it’s not the classic a-frame style from that period I love unfortunately. I decided to make a gingerbread house of this modern style that I see often in our neighborhood but I made it wintry with pine trees instead of palms and added snow that we don’t see here but I’m from NY so it’s a mix of both of my worlds.
I made the pattern templates myself and had to adjust on the fly to make sure everything would fit together but you can find ready to print templates online. I have some experience with making gingerbread houses and even sold them back in the day so I do have some tips and tricks that might help if you want to make one yourself. It’s not as hard as you may think!
My recipe for gingerbread cookies is what I’ve been using since it was gifted to me by my neighbor who swore me to secrecy and said I shouldn’t share it but I think the years have hopefully changed her mind and I hope she’d be ok with it now. I haven’t spoken to her in a very long time but I believe she’s still with us and I’m forever grateful for her guidance and advice. She is a wonderful baker.
How do I make a gingerbread house?
- Gingerbread dough. Make my gingerbread recipe here.
- A house template. You can find many online by searching for “gingerbread house template”. Some are very simple with four sides and two pieces for the roof. Some have a chimney you add and gables etc. and although I appreciate the traditional look to many of these, I wanted to try my hand at a modern house this year.
- Royal icing. This is the white icing used to decorate the house. Use my vegan recipe here as most traditional recipes require egg whites or meringue powder.
- Melted sugar. To assemble, I prefer using a quick caramel made from melted granulated sugar. It makes instant work of assembling a house as the sugar cements the pieces together almost instantly so you have to work quickly. It can burn you too so wear gardening gloves. You can assemble with royal icing but it can take hours for that to dry and it has to be done piecemeal as you wait for each part to dry. Pushpins can help anchor pieces together while the icing dries but it’s still fussy and takes too much time in my opinion.
- Candies. Most houses are adorned with festive candies but a lot aren’t vegan so if you’re going to make a vegan friendly house you can choose from lifesavers, red hots, rainbow candy coated chocolate chips which you can find in my Amazon storefront here or at the bottom of this post, licorice, Dots gummies, and more.
Tips for success:
- Roll your dough directly on parchment. Some people roll dough on a counter or board then transfer onto baking sheets with spatulas but I like to roll right onto parchment paper then move the whole sheet on to the back of a baking pan turned upside down to bake. Be careful when placing and removing from the oven though as parchment can slip easily off the back of a pan.
- Trim your pieces twice. After baking houses for a few years, sometimes the pieces spread a little too much in the oven and it was more difficult to piece things together as there would be large gaps so one day I thought to place the template used to trim each piece over the hot gingerbread when it came right out of the oven and using a sharp knife, trim the pieces again so each side was perfectly straight. The houses assembled much easier this way with less large gaps.
- Easier windows. Some people use hot sugar to makes panes of glass for cut out windows but you can use other things like a colored gel for lights, cellophane or even parchment paper. When adding battery operated lights to the inside, these help to diffuse the light and is much easier than melting and pouring hot sugar or using isomalt which is expensive.
- Stabilize large pieces. I used a large piece of gingerbread for one part of the roof so to stabilize it I attached it to a thin piece of cardboard first using the melted sugar I used to assemble the sides. I cut the cardboard slightly smaller so it would inset into the top of the house and not be as noticeable.
- Decorate your sides and roof before assembling. It’s much easier to decorate the pieces of the house with icing while they’re flat rather than when they’re assembled. You’ll have to add icicles and other adornments after pieces are assembled but and other piping around windows and doors should be done first.
- Let it cool! Make sure to let the gingerbread pieces cool completely before assembling, or they could bend when assembling.
- Get creative! Try using a variety of candy, cereal, or even homemade treats. If your icing is too thick to pipe, add a tiny bit of water; if too thin, add powdered sugar.
- Keep your piping bag in a large glass. I like you use a glass to help fill my bag (it keeps it upright) and then to hold it while I’m adding candy until I need it again to pipe.
Tools and equipment:
- Rolling pin.
- Parchment paper.
- Knife or pizza cutter.
- Piping bags (I prefer disposable) or plastic sandwich bags.
- Scissors.
- Baking sheets.
- Stable surface for the house. I used a tray covered with a snow blanket from the craft store but you could also use a board or a heavy piece of cardboard.
About my gingerbread house:
I made my house a modernist style with a carport overhang. I then used lifesavers (orange mint flavor) that I attached to a small piece of reused plastic from a container cut to size then hot glued them to it to make a “breeze wall” often seen here in Florida and Palm Springs, CA. I added a chimney to the front but didn’t make it 3D with sides and a back as you really only see it from the front. I did have to notch the roof slightly to make it sit flush against the house. I added store bought brush bottle trees to complete the look but I have iced ice cream sugar cones in the past to make trees. I used royal icing before or you could tint it green and use a pastry bag tip to make them more look more like Christmas trees. I also made a large window panel in the front then lined the back with a piece of iridescent gift bag I cut out then lined that with a piece of parchment behind it to diffuse the lights I added inside the house. I covered a plastic tray with a piece of a snow blanket from the craft store as the base so I could hide the light controller underneath in the back. You could use a piece of board or a heavy cardboard too.
Building and decorating a gingerbread house is more than just a craft—it’s a beloved holiday tradition that brings families together, sparks creativity, and fills your home with the sweet scent of ginger and spice. Whether you go for a classic design or get creative like I did with this modern house, the end result will be a beautiful, edible masterpiece to enjoy all season long.
So gather your supplies, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to create a festive gingerbread house that will become a cherished part of your holiday memories!
