Would you believe that I have never made gingerbread houses or cookies from scratch? Ever? I have made them out of graham crackers or bought the pre-made kits to do with the boys, but I’ve never made the dough and the icing and rolled and cut everything myself.
Until Tuesday.
I’ve been so in love with the simple and pretty gingerbread houses I’ve seen spotted on Instagram that I decided I needed to make some of my own.
I was supposed to go to the studio on Tuesday. Kriste was there already, packing up the online orders from the weekend, but the pull of the gingerbread was just too strong.
I gave her a call. “So, there isn’t anything we really have to do today, right? Would you be okay if I stay home and make gingerbread houses? You could come on over and we can do some brainstorming while we decorate…”
Of course, she said yes. Who can say no to your boss when she’s asking you to basically play hooky with her to make gingerbread?
I made this recipe from the Food Network website (a double recipe) and a standard royal icing with egg whites and powdered sugar.
I made a bunch of hand-cut hearts to hang around the house…
We had a good laugh at my little deer. It looked like a camel at first, but I managed to make it look “at least like an animal”, as Kriste put it.
And I made a large house. Since it was my first time, I kept the design and construction simple. I made templates out of cut up cereal boxes and that worked out pretty well.
I found it difficult to put icing on a vertical surface. It was much easier on the cookies, because they were lying flat. I think, next time, I might add the detailed icing first and then put the house together.
I also made a little house…
The little one is a bit messy, but I learned a lot my first time around, so I feel like I can make them better next time.
But, you know, you put it on a marble pedestal and tuck some greenery and little glass antique Christmas balls around it and it takes on a sweet quality. You can forgive the messy icing.
It was therapeutic and fun and will definitely be a new Christmas tradition for me.
In case you missed it, I’m running a huge giveaway for $1000 to buy a chair or sofa from Interior Define. You’ll want to check that one out!
And, speaking of furniture, we listed the furniture pieces we have in the studio in the online shop. They are for local pick-up, but if you’re interested in trying to figure out shipping (perhaps through Greyhound), just send me an e-mail.
Kriste and I also cleaned out my fabric stash and we’ll be listing lots of hemp sheet, grain sack and linen scraps that are good for small projects (mini stockings, sachets, ornaments, pillows, etc.), coordinated fabric bundles and some antique textiles. I’ll let you know when they are live. I also just listed a few more hemp sheets and have another huge shipment coming in from Europe in a couple of weeks…
23 Responses
I used to make gingerbread houses when my boys were young. It involved me doing everything (and a lot of cursing when it came to constructing the house) and then the boys took over when it came to decorating it. By the time they were done you didn’t know there was a house under there! But it was adorable. Merry Christmas!
Must confess, I thought your deer was a COW, and that you were brilliant. Think it over. It was supposed to be a cow, right? It wants to be a cow.
it looks like a cow to me too.
You did great! I bet the houses and cookies smell wonderful too. 🙂
Did you have fun? That is what matters. Good for you for staying home and playing.
They look great for a first time!
GO to: TALK OF THE HOUSE.com (Our Dinning Room for Christmas, Dec 15)
See her houses and how she stores them!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
Umm ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE cookies!! They look scrumptious and that house is uber cute. Great jobs ladies! I think you deer kind of loose like a baby moose, I like it tough he’s a cutie. Much better than I could do, it would probably end up as a blob (haha!)
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
I love gingerbread houses… and these are so cute! What a fun day of playing hooky… !
Cindy
Cutest darn little gingerbread house I’ve ever seen…and the wonky side is my favorite 🙂
I’m glad that you decided to try out a new Christmas activity. I really love the way they turned out including your deer. I guess it’s antlers haven’t quite developed yet.
Merry Christmas to you, your family and Kriste
Penny
They’re lovely!
I believe you can buy a coupler (the part that fits in the icing bag which has an end that screws off to change your tips) that is “angled” so as to make icing a verticle surface much easier. Try Wilton or Amazon.
Aw I love your gingerbread house! I am not sure I will have the time to make one this year, but I am enjoying yours!
I see Santa’s face winking as the front door of the tiny house. Any one else see it?
I just adore your gingerbread houses … Both of them! You have inspired me to make them next year with gingerbread. As a fourth grade teacher (retired) I resorted to starting with a taped (underneath) together cardboard houses sitting on a piece of cardboard which was covered with aluminum foil. The children would bring white canned frosting and lots of candy. They would cover the cardboard house with frosting and then decorate the house with candy. I have since been doing this with my two grandchildren. However, next year I will actually attempt to make gingerbread houses for them to decorate! You have inspired me. I, of course will have to make the royal icing as well. Thank you!!!
I use a silicone mold where you just press the dough in from Amazon. It’s made gingerbread house making easy. Otherwise the gingerbread always warps for me if I roll it out and use a template. Yours turned out cute though.
Oh, I love the way your gingerbread stuff turned out! I usually get the Wilton kits on sale, but you have inspired me! And, if I do it your way, we can dispense with all the colorful candies that my granddaughter wants to eat in one sitting. 🙂 Very lovely and simple twist on this yearly tradition!
I know this was a fun thing to do and your kids thought so too. It will be a great memory .
That’s just the cutest little gingerbread house I’ve seen! Thank you for sharing!
Sweet! I’ve never made gingerbread either and I’m old! You did a great job!
I made gingerbread cookies for the first time tonight, I cheated with pillsbury refrigerator dough. Total fun! Love your houses and the darling deer.
A elderly friend of mine had a gingerbread house plans from Better House and Gardens or Ladies Home Journal from the 1920’s and she used to make it every year and absolutely adorable. It had that slide feature down the side of the front door area which was so typical of that era. I told her that she should send a picture into the magazine.
I tried decorating one of the store-boughten gingerbread house kits with my three-year-old grandsons back in the summer because I had bought it the previous Christmas and hadn’t gotten around to make it. I figured since it was that old it was good to practice on! Well, the boys loved it but it was a total mess! The icing was too liquidy and of course they had no concept of how the candies were supposed to be used and mostly enjoyed eating them despite how stale they were! By the time I got it cleaned up I was thinking “I’ll never do one of these again!” But, now, seeing yours, I am tempted. But I think I might do it from scratch and bake the house pieces myself and make my own frosting. I might also do it alone!
Thanks for the fun post! Happy Christmas!
When my nieces and nephews were children, they came to my house and helped decorate the tree. Well, they decorated the bottom three feet of it and I made adjustments after they left. Afterward, we decorated gingerbread houses. Now, they are bringing their children to decorate gingerbread houses. I have 11 children coming and a great time it will be. I had better start baking!