This holiday season, elevate your gingerbread house game with our A-frame gingerbread chalet.
Unlike traditional gingerbread houses that often require intricate piping and a steady hand, our recipe starts with strong yet fragrant and tasty gingerbread, a smart design (you can print the gingerbread house template here), and a clever approach to gingerbread house decorating that makes creative use of everyday ingredients, making it perfect for bakers and decorators of all skill levels.
Since making gingerbread houses is a fun group activity (yes, for grown-ups, too!), we’re providing blueprints and extra decorating ideas for scaled-down versions of the chalet. Host a gingerbread house decorating party and let each guest design their own small chalet. Pre-bake the house pieces, set out your decorating supplies, put on some music, and watch a whole village come together.
(No time to bake? You can also start with store-bought gingerbread house kits and skip right to decorating.)
How to make a gingerbread house
This gingerbread project requires just a little under three hours of active time to make, including rolling and baking the dough and assembling and decorating the house to create a wintry landscape. You will also need to plan for about four hours of inactive time during the process while the dough chills, the baked house pieces cool, and the royal icing on the assembled house cures and dries. You can organize candy and decorations while the gingerbread dough chills, and form landscaping elements like a mounted deer head made of caramel and pretzels and a melted candy ice skating pond while the house stands and the royal icing cures.
Make the dough and bake the pieces
The dough comes together quickly and is easy to cut out into different shapes when chilled. Cold dough is essential for precise cutting. Cut out and bake the pieces directly on the baking pan to avoid moving and potentially distorting the shapes. Once baked, it’s sturdy as lumber and will allow you to build a structurally sound gingerbread house — you won’t need to worry about the roof caving in after a sugary snowfall. (If you like, the dough can also be rolled to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut into gingerbread cookies. Bake it at 350°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet until crisp and edges are brown, 10 to 12 minutes.)
Use the gingerbread house template
Each A-frame gingerbread house is made of two triangular and two rectangular gingerbread pieces. Draw templates on parchment paper or cardstock using the measurements below, or print out our gingerbread house template. (Note: due to printer limits, the large house in the printable template is slightly smaller than the dimensions provided below). Keep in mind that smaller houses may need to be baked in three batches, and should stand for 30 minutes before decorating.
- For a large house: a 11 3/4- x 5-inch rectangle and 11 3/4- x 11 3/4- x 8 1/2-inch triangle.
- For a medium house: a 5 3/8- x 2 1/2-inch rectangle and 5 3/8- x 5 3/8- x 4-inch triangle.
- For a small house: a 4 1/4- x 2-inch rectangle and 4 1/4- x 4 1/4- x 3-inch triangle.
Mix the royal icing
Royal icing is the glue that adheres everything. It can dry without drips or slips, and is a workhorse when it comes to building sturdy gingerbread houses. It’s versatile enough to use as a thick mortar paste for adhering gingerbread pieces, and it can be thinned out and colored to add embellishments. If you are hesitant to use an icing made with a raw egg, you can substitute meringue powder or use pasteurized egg whites. Egg whites produce a glossier finish than meringue powder once the icing dries, but you likely will add enough candies and other decorations that it won’t be especially noticeable.
Royal icing hardens fast; once it’s made, immediately transfer it to an airtight piping bag, or keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth until you are ready to use it. One batch should make enough to build and decorate one large gingerbread house or about four to five medium and small gingerbread houses, depending on how extensive the decorations are.
Build your gingerbread house
The following tools will make it easier to assemble the house:
- microplane, for smoothing gingerbread house edges
- piping bag, for icing
- offset spatula, for icing
- platter or cardboard cake board, for building the gingerbread house onto
- 2 heavy (15-ounce) cans, for supporting walls as you build the gingerbread house
For a gingerbread house decorating party, provide each guest with a small cardboard cake board (or cut one from a cardboard box) to build the house on. If the house doesn’t need to be transported, set it up on a favorite platter to make it display-ready.
Decorate your gingerbread house
Use a pre-fab approach and take care of some decorations before assembling the gingerbread house. It’s easier to add roof shingles to the rectangular roof pieces while they lie flat on your work table, and to pipe icing that can stay put during assembly.
When it comes to decorating your house, personalize it to suit your taste. Flat decorations like vintage wafer candies or slivered almonds make delightful roof shingles; use a tiny dollop of icing to place each one. Load up on colorful candies and sprinkles for Candyland vibes and snacks like pretzels and nuts for a more woodsy, nature-inspired effect. Separate the decorations by type and color for easy planning and assembly. If you’re hosting a gingerbread house party, place bowls of all the decorating ingredients down the center of the table so they are easily within reach of guests.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Gingerbread house icing and royal icing are the same thing. Royal icing can be made with just egg whites and powdered sugar but it’s best when you add a stabilizer to prevent crystallization. You can use cream of tartar but we opted for lemon juice for the citrus flavor since it accomplishes the same stabilizing result. If you prefer to use cream of tartar, substitute and equal amount for the lemon juice
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If using meringue powder instead of raw egg whites, you’ll use two teaspoons of meringue powder and two tablespoons water to substitute one egg white. Since this recipe calls for two egg whites, that means you’ll use one tablespoon plus one teaspoon meringue powder and ¼ cup water.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
It’s easiest to roll the dough when it’s softer, then cut it when it’s firm from chilling. When re-rolling the scraps, they’ll probably be fairly warm and soft, so if you’re struggling to cut them, pop the dough in the freezer for five to 10 mins to firm up. Find clear mint candy for gingerbread house windows at ohnuts.com.
Make ahead
Unbaked dough can be prepared through step 2, wrapped well with plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days or frozen for up to one month. Store the baked gingerbread flat between parchment sheets in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Constructed gingerbread houses can be on display for up to two months; we advise against consuming any of it after one week, especially if it’s been sitting on your countertop at room temperature.
Ingredients
Gingerbread House Dough
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1 cup unsalted butter
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1 cup granulated sugar
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1/2 cup light corn syrup
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1/2 cup molasses
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5 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon ground ginger
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2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon sea salt
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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1 large egg yolk
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10 clear mint candies, crushed, optional for window panes
Royal Icing
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2 large egg whites
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16 ounces powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
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1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
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Food coloring gel, as needed
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Water, as needed
Additional ingredients
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Candy, sanding sugar, and other decorations as desired
Directions
Make the gingerbread
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Heat butter, sugar, corn syrup, and molasses in a large pot over medium; cook until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves; stir using a wooden spoon until a stiff dough forms. Add egg yolk; stir until combined and dough is shiny.
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Roll out the dough. Divide dough, while still warm and pliable, into two equal 2 [1 1/2-pound] portions. Roll each portion between parchment paper into 14- x 11-inch slabs about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with flour if needed. Stack slabs on a baking sheet, cover well, and chill until cold and firm to ensure cleanly cut house pieces, 2 to 48 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer 1 cold slab of dough to a baking sheet, peel off top layer of parchment paper. Spacing cutouts about 1 inch apart, cut out two triangles and two rectangles per house using a small sharp knife and a ruler as a guide. When cutting, lay template directly on cold dough set on a baking sheet. (Cutting out and baking pieces right on the pan avoids moving and potentially distorting shapes.) Peel away scraps, leaving cutout pieces on parchment paper; re-roll and chill scraps before cutting out more house pieces. Cut out windows and doors before baking.
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Bake gingerbread in preheated oven until browned and firm to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. If adding window panes, at 16 minutes, fill windows (and/or skylights) of partially baked house pieces with crushed hard candy; finish baking until the candy melts and cookies are done, 4 minutes more. (Melted clear mints become translucent, light-refracting panes. You can also include bits of crushed colored candy for a stained-glass effect. Or skip this step, and attach gelatin sheets to the interior side of baked pieces — or leave windows pane-free, if you prefer.) Cool baked gingerbread on baking sheet for 10 minutes; then transfer pieces to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Repeat process with remaining dough slab. Roll out scraps, chill, re-roll, and cut out and bake pieces as needed.
Make the royal icing
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Beat egg whites in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating on medium speed until sugar is completely incorporated, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice; beat on high speed until icing is fluffy and holds its shape, 3 to 5 minutes. If desired, stir in food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until icing is 1 shade lighter than desired color, stirring using a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.
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Use icing as is for gingerbread house mortar. For decorative piping, beat in 1/2 teaspoon water, and for fine-line piping, beat in up to 1 teaspoon water.
Shingle the roof and pipe accents
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Set up an icing area. Fill a disposable piping bag(s) with royal icing, and snip a small opening from the tip to neatly attach decorations or pipe onto baked cookie pieces. The royal icing stays neatly contained in a piping bag. Twist the bag and hold it closed with your hand while piping, or cinch with a twist tie or rubber band. A wide-mouth jar with a piece of damp paper towel tucked into the bottom is a perfect stand for the filled bag and will keep icing from hardening at the tip. Keep a damp towel and cotton swabs handy to wipe away stray drips.
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Prepare cookie pieces. Match up adjoining house pieces to check that they’ll fit together nicely. If anything is off, use a Microplane (or another rasp-style grater) to shave down and straighten bumpy edges. Work over a piece of parchment paper, away from icings and decorations, to easily collect and dispose of shavings. Brush cookie pieces with a dry pastry brush to sweep off residual dust.
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Decorate the house front with royal icing with sanding sugar. Simple outlines piped around windows and doors add pretty trim and require no special equipment — just a snip off the tip of the piping bag. You can also sprinkle sanding sugar over the icing while it is still wet to add sparkly or colorful accents. Or brush the entire surface of the cookie very lightly with royal icing and sprinkle with white sanding sugar for an icy, snowy effect.
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Lay roof shingles. You can shingle with an array of items, including vintage Necco wafers, candy canes, sliced almonds, cereal, and pretzels. If needed, trim shingles to fit roof width. Place a small dollop of icing on each shingle to attach to roof pieces. Let shingled roof pieces stand until icing is set, 20 to 30 minutes. Leave about 1 inch of the rooftop bare for easier handling during assembly. Finish installing shingles once the house is erected. You can lay shingles in overlapping rows, starting from the roof bottom, or you can stagger them or line them up in a perfectly vertical pattern — designer’s choice!
Build the gingerbread house
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After completing preliminary decorations on the house’s front and roof pieces, you’re ready to build! Set up house front. Fill a piping bag with royal icing, and keep a bowl of icing and an offset spatula on hand for applying additional icing as needed. Stand the triangular front façade of the house on a platter or cardboard cake board using a heavy can to support the piece. Pipe a thick line of icing down one edge of the triangle.
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Attach first roof piece: Leaving the can in place, line up the interior edge of a roof piece against the piped edge of the house front. Hold the roof at the top, unfinished area to position and align the joints. Check that pieces are level, and adjust as needed. Press pieces together, and hold for a couple of minutes to ensure the connection is secure. Pipe additional icing along the inside joint, and smooth with an offset spatula.
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Attach house back: Pipe along the edge of the house back piece, and attach the house back piece to the back of the roof piece. Pipe along the inside joint, and smooth with an offset spatula. Hold for a couple of minutes to ensure piece is secure. Place a heavy can behind the back piece for support while icing sets.
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Add the final roof piece: Remove the heavy can from inside the house. Pipe along the edges of the front and back house pieces. Attach the second roof piece. If needed, apply more icing along the house joints. Attach remaining shingles to the top portion of the gingerbread house roof. Allow royal icing to set before moving, 1 to 2 hours for large houses and 30 to 45 minutes for smaller ones.
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Add finishing touches: Continue to decorate the house exterior, adding embellishments to match your house design. Use royal icing for snowy icicles along the roof and eaves. Slightly thicken icing to help control the flow; apply with a piping bag or small spoon. Adding trim along the eaves and rooftop helps hide house joints. Here, pretzel rods do the job, but other snacks, candies, or herbs also work. Pile shredded coconut along the base of the house to create snowy drifts. For an extra-icy sparkle, sprinkle white sanding sugar over top of the coconut. Window sills with drips of royal icing and small round candies or sprinkles are a quick and simple way to embellish the house’s front. (Check out more decorating ideas here).
Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, December 2024/January 2025