I'm kicking off this holiday season with a festive gingerbread house! Each year I try to make my gingerbread house a little more elaborate and difficult that the year before, this years gingerbread house took a week to complete!
There are so many pieces that need to be carefully readjusted with a dremel (thanks dad!) and then iced together and left to dry before constructing.
To begin, I found a terrific haunted gingerbread house with a pdf template to download and a basic diagram for construction that I used for the pieces. Once all the pieces are cut out of gingerbread and baked, the construction begins with lots of royal icing to glue the pieces together. Canned foods are great for holding up walls while waiting for the icing to dry.
The window panes are made of crushed butterscotch candies that are spooned into the window openings of the baked pieces then placed back into the oven for another 15 minutes to melt and spread. Let cool in pan for several hours or over night before moving.
The wrought iron railings are made of royal icing piped onto a piece of mylar plastic set over a template. The icing is left to dry overnight and then carefully removed from the mylar and glued to the house using more royal icing. The potted plants are made of gingerbread dough that I squished into a few metal icing tips that I had sprayed with Pam and baked in the oven for around 15 minutes.
The little pieces come right out of the icing tips and my dad used a dremel to cut the ends off to make "pots" and carved out a little indent in the tops to fill with more royal icing. The "plants" are red and green candy covered sunflower seeds. The evergreen trees are sticks of rock candy with the sticks cut off the ends.
The supports for the porch and porch roofs are cut candy canes and round candy pieces. I hope this years gingerbread house will help inspire your holiday baking. Here is last years house 2010, and 2009 here and here, and my first house 2008. Happy holiday baking everyone!
can you please send me this template.
Posted by: grace | 11/02/2015 at 03:07 PM
Can I have the template
Posted by: Claire | 09/24/2015 at 08:32 PM
the link to the template is in the post
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 08/30/2015 at 03:47 PM
I love the house can you send me the template?Please!!!!!
Posted by: Patricia | 08/30/2015 at 03:21 PM
do you sell or make available any of the templates for the houses? i am tired of the one we do every year and instead of three want to make just one (kids usually each make a small one of their own). i realize making a template is a lot of work, but i have NO idea how to go about it. and well, now Christmas is a couple days away! LOL
thanks
Posted by: teri pastorino | 12/22/2014 at 02:48 PM
Hi katie,
the 6th photo down shows where to cut the hole so that the light will shine thru the turret windows. thanks
Posted by: anna | 12/15/2014 at 06:07 PM
hi i would love to make this ..i would like to know the measurements and the recipe you used..
Posted by: sharmilla | 12/15/2014 at 03:56 PM
If you're making this house and lighting it from the inside, you'll need to make extra cuts in the front wall and front main roof to allow the light to reach those windows.
Posted by: Katie | 12/12/2014 at 01:55 PM
Hi,
I love all the goodies you post on your blog.
Especially your gingerbread. Just incredible. I wanted to try and make this gingerbread house, but I just wondered how you made it stick together, What did you use.
BTW I love your blog.
Posted by: Sara | 12/20/2013 at 04:41 AM
Can I purchase a kit to make Gingerbread House like I found once in 2011? I cannot find the kit offered anywhere this year....thanks! bkrudis@hotnmail.com
Posted by: Bonnie J Kr5udis | 12/07/2013 at 03:48 PM
http://www.canstockphoto.com/wrought-iron-fence-1-5372520.html
i think this is close... if you google Wrought Iron Fence Graphic and look under images you will get to ton of choices! Good Luck!
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 12/06/2013 at 01:13 PM
Could you send me the template of the iron railings?
This House looks amazing!
Thanks
e-mail:neuildiko@gmail.com
Posted by: Ildikó | 12/06/2013 at 02:11 AM
Hi lily,
here is the recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/339021/molasses-gingerbread-cookie-dough
good luck with ur house!
Posted by: anna | 10/31/2013 at 04:59 PM
me and a friend are re makeing your house with some of our own tweeks for a school project. we are in 8th grade and wanted to know where you got your recipe because other recipes we have seen seem to get burnt or dont look very good.
Posted by: lily griffith | 10/31/2013 at 04:12 PM
Wow, this is impressing! But where did you get the ironwork template? I couldn't find it on the Haunted Dimensions website. Could you send me one to my e-mail address? (valebob95@hotmail.it) If you don't mind, of course. Thank you.
Posted by: Valentina | 07/19/2013 at 08:09 AM
Thanks for the kind comments on the Gingerbread House! Last year I tried to upload a pic to the Haunted Dimensions website but I couldnt seem to get it to work!
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 01/14/2013 at 01:35 PM
Ooh, so pretty! You should send this in to the Haunted Dimensions website! I'm sure he'd love to put it up in the gallery there. I'd love to see it there. :D
Posted by: Zakiyah_muse | 01/13/2013 at 10:55 PM
I dont remember what size I printed the template... I think I made it larger than 100% though...
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 12/14/2012 at 02:07 PM
Hi :) What size did you print the templet on? A4?
Posted by: Kathrine | 12/14/2012 at 01:06 PM
Actually found somthing similar before you posted!! Can't wait to see what you've come up with this year! Wish I was talented enough to create on my own, but I will settle for having a great time trying to re-create other peoples fabulous designs :) Happy holidays to you!
Posted by: Shawn | 12/11/2012 at 12:15 PM
Hi shawn, i just googled wrought iron fence graphic and a whole bunch of ideas came up. I picked one and adjusted it on the computer to fit my house scale and then loosely followed the template to make the fence with icing. I will post my 2012 Gingerbread House on the blog tonight or tommoro! Check it out!
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 12/11/2012 at 11:33 AM
Love this! Where did you find the template for the fencing? I have looked all over and by far this is the nicest!!
Posted by: Shawn | 12/11/2012 at 07:25 AM
good luck and have fun! Tuesday or Wednesday I will be posting this years Gingerbread House!
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 12/10/2012 at 04:37 PM
Love this! You have a great eye for details! I like how you use the royal icing in lots of ways! My kids and I are attempting this, this year :0 Wish us luck!!!
Posted by: Shawn | 12/10/2012 at 04:06 PM
the link is in the post
To: asarpieri@hotmail.com
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 12/04/2012 at 12:42 PM