Recipe details
Prep time
45
min
Cooking time
15
min
Total time
60
min
Ingredients
For the gingerbread:
- 100g unsalted butter
- 300g plain flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 20g treacle
- 80g golden syrup
- 1 large egg
- 50g dark brown sugar
- 50g light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
For the icing:
- 125g royal icing
- 15ml water
Instructions
- Line two trays with greaseproof paper and pre heat your oven to 170c.
- In a large mixing bowl cube your butter and add the flour.
- Rub with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugars, ginger and salt and give it a stir.
- Next add the egg, golden syrup and treacle and mix into a dough. Roll out between two sheets of parchment to about 0.5cm thick.
- Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and the cut out your gingerbread house shapes.
- Arrange on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool completely so the icing doesn't spread when decorating. Once cooled, add your Royal Icing Sugar to a bowl, pour in the water and whisk until you see soft peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate!
- Ideally leave the icing to set for 1-2 hours, or pop in the oven on the lowest temperature for 30 minutes.
What makes a good gingerbread house?
Creating the perfect gingerbread house dough involves finding the right balance of ingredients to achieve a flavorful, sturdy, and easy-to-work-with dough. I have shared my gingerbread house dough recipe below, and here are a few tips too:
- Royal Icing is Key: Royal icing is the glue that holds your gingerbread house together. Make sure it's thick and sturdy. You can adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar if needed. It acts as both the adhesive and the snow-like decoration.
- Create Templates (or in this case use a cutter):Use templates for cutting out the gingerbread pieces. This ensures uniformity and helps your house fit together properly. You can find templates online or create your own based on your design. If using online templates, print them out and stick them to cardboard for ease when cutting out your shapes.
- Decorate Before Assembly: It's often easier to decorate individual pieces before assembling the house. This allows for more detailed and intricate designs. Decorate the roof panels, windows, and other components separately before attaching them.
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