Thatched Gingerbread House

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Servings: 1 pie Difficulty: Advanced
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Edible holiday cottage with royal icing and shredded wheat thatch
Thatched Gingerbread House 02 - Country Living recipe image

This delightful gingerbread house recipe transforms simple spiced dough into a festive, edible work of art. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this project allows you to create a charming cottage adorned with royal icing “mortar,” shredded wheat “thatch,” and colorful candy accents. The gingerbread offers a warm, spicy flavor profile with a crisp texture, while the royal icing provides a sweet, smooth contrast. Ideal for family crafting sessions or as a stunning centerpiece for your Christmas table, this house is both a visual treat and a delicious dessert. Customize it with your favorite candies and display it with pride before breaking it apart for a sweet holiday snack.

Thatched Gingerbread House 02 - Country Living recipe image
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Thatched Gingerbread House

Author: chefs-mate Cooking Method: Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Advanced
Servings: 1 pie
Dietary:
V Vegan

Description

This delightful gingerbread house recipe transforms simple spiced dough into a festive, edible work of art. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this project allows you to create a charming cottage adorned with royal icing "mortar," shredded wheat "thatch," and colorful candy accents. The gingerbread offers a warm, spicy flavor profile with a crisp texture, while the royal icing provides a sweet, smooth contrast. Ideal for family crafting sessions or as a stunning centerpiece for your Christmas table, this house is both a visual treat and a delicious dessert. Customize it with your favorite candies and display it with pride before breaking it apart for a sweet holiday snack.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and cover three large baking sheets with aluminum foil.
  2. Roll out gingerbread dough, one half at a time, to a 10-inch square, 1/8 inch thick, on the foil-covered sheets.
  3. Cut out the gingerbread front (pattern 9), one 6-by-2-inch rectangle for the side, seven window frames (pattern 10), two chimney sides (pattern 8), and three front-door overhang supports (pattern 11), leaving 1/2 inch between pieces.
  4. Cut a 3 1/2-inch by 1 1/4-inch rectangle and an 8-inch by 1 1/4-inch rectangle for fence pieces.
  5. Cut a 3-by-2-inch rectangle for the front door.
  6. Cut a 2-inch by 1 1/2-inch rectangle for the front stoop and four 1-3/4-by-3/4-inch rectangles for window boxes.
  7. Remove trimmings and reroll if necessary.
  8. Use a knife to score the gingerbread front, side, chimney sides, fence pieces, and front stoop to resemble stone.
  9. Score the door and window boxes to resemble wood.
  10. Bake gingerbread pieces for 12 to 15 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.
  11. While still warm, measure against patterns and trim off any excess caused by expansion during baking.
  12. Trim 1/4 inch off the ends of one front-door overhang support.
  13. Cool gingerbread completely on a flat surface.
  14. Prepare Royal Frosting (refer to separate recipe).
  15. Turn the house frame on its side; spread Royal Frosting on the bottom edges of the frame.
  16. Set the house frame in position on the base.
  17. Holding the house by the roof, frost the front, back, chimney, and sides of the cardboard frame; press gingerbread pieces onto the frosted frame.
  18. Press all window frames into place except the front left one, allowing a little frosting to extrude inside the frame.
  19. Press window boxes in place under the front and back windows.
  20. Generously frost the roof, front-door overhang, and side-window overhang.
  21. Split shredded-wheat biscuits and, working from bottom to top, press them in place on the front-door overhang and roof.
  22. Press one half biscuit in place on the side-window overhang.
  23. Break off tufts of shredded wheat and press onto the side of the overhang.
  24. Set the house aside to dry for several hours.
  25. Smoothly frost the sides of the chimney extension; set aside.
  26. When pieces are dry, prepare the third recipe of Royal Frosting.
  27. Measure out 1/2 cup of frosting; cover tightly and set aside.
  28. Spoon the remaining frosting into a decorating bag fitted with an adapter and 1/4-inch round tip.
  29. Pipe swirls of frosting at the side eaves of the house, front-door overhang, and side-window overhang.
  30. Press the shorter gingerbread door-overhang support, with open ends against the house, to the left under the front-door overhang.
  31. Press another support to the right under the overhang, with the remaining support beneath it.
  32. Hold until the support feels secure.
  33. Pipe a border of frosting along the bottoms of the roof, overhangs, and along the peak of the roof.
  34. Set gum bears into the frosting on the roof.
  35. Pipe a mat on the front-door stoop.
  36. Frost a gum bear onto the left side of the porch.
  37. Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the chimney; press the chimney extension into the frosting, closed end up.
  38. Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the chimney extension; set a gum drop into place.
  39. Place 1/4 cup of reserved frosting into a custard cup; stir in cocoa.
  40. If the mixture is too stiff, add 1 drop of water.
  41. Replace the 1/4-inch open tip on the decorating bag with a small writing tip.
  42. Wash the 1/4-inch open tip and place it on a small decorating bag; fill with cocoa frosting.
  43. Pipe a double border of cocoa frosting at the edges of the chimney.
  44. Pipe a single row around the top of the chimney.
  45. With white frosting, frost the backs of the remaining front left window frame and window box.
  46. Press them into place on the gingerbread front.
  47. Pipe a doorknob onto the front door, snow drift at the top of the door, icicles at the roof edges and along the eaves, and swirls at the top and base of the chimney extension.
  48. Pipe frosting along the edges of the fence pieces; set up as pictured.
  49. Pipe icicles along the top of the fence.
  50. Color 1 tablespoon of remaining frosting with red food coloring.
  51. Color the remaining frosting green.
  52. Place green frosting in a small pastry bag with a leaf tip.
  53. Pipe garlands of leaves over the door, second-floor window, and down the left front corner of the house.
  54. Press a candy cane into the corner garland.
  55. Pipe leaves at the base of the candy cane for support.
  56. Pipe small evergreen trees at the remaining corners of the house and fence.
  57. Pipe leaves into the window boxes.
  58. Remove the writing tip from the decorating bag of white frosting.
  59. Wash, dry, and fill the tip with red frosting.
  60. Replace on the bag of white frosting.
  61. Pipe red dots onto the green leaves.
  62. Set the house aside for several hours or overnight to dry.
  63. If desired, display the cottage on cotton batting.
  64. To illuminate, set a Christmas-tree light in a stand-up holder in the hole in the house base, with the cord running from the back of the house through the cotton batting or covered by a fold of cloth.
  65. If desired, set artificial trees around the house and sprinkle coarse salt over the batting to resemble snow drifts.
  66. Sift confectioners' sugar over the trees and roof of the house.
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