Step-by-Step Decorating Ideas for a Gingerbread House

Build gingerbread houses with your family.

The benefits of making and decorating a gingerbread house are threefold: your house will smell like festive spices, the house can decorate your home in preparation for the holiday season and, if you use icing rather than glue, you can eat the candy decorations and the gingerbread. There are a variety of ways you can get creative when making the gingerbread house. Gather your supplies before beginning and create a brief decoration plan before starting to "glue" your pieces to the house with icing.

Things You'll Need

• Icing
• Piping bag
• Candy
• Sugar cone
• Small candy canes
• Peppermint candies
• Candy beans
• Candy-coated chocolates
• Green gummy candies

Instructions

1. Slide a metal piping tip into the end of a piping bag and fill it halfway full with icing. Twist the end shut and hold the bag in one hand.

2. Pipe icing along the edges of the outside walls and roof to cover the seams in the gingerbread construction. Let the icing harden completely.

3. Attach colored candy to the seams by putting a small dab of icing on the candy and pressing it onto the gingerbread house. Hold it in place until the icing sets.

4. Attach a sugar cone to the top of the house to imitate a steeple. Pipe frosting around the edge of the cone and place it on top of the front of the house. Holding it in place, pipe icing in between the cone's edges and the sides of the roof to support the cone steeple.

5. Spread icing along one edge of a small candy cane and press it against one side of the gingerbread door. Hold it in place until the icing sets. Repeat this with another candy cane on the other side of the door to make festive door columns.

6. Pipe drips of icing along the gingerbread roof's eaves to resemble icicles. Pipe icing on the rest of the roof to resemble a snow-covered roof.

7. Attach colored candy to the base in front of the gingerbread house to resemble a cobbled walkway. Use peppermint candies, candy beans or candy-coated chocolates.

8. Pipe icing onto the bottom of green gummy candies and attach them around the border of the home to resemble bushes and landscaping.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a wet cloth close to wipe up any misplaced icing.

• Store gingerbread houses in a cool and dry place and cover them with a light cloth or loosely with plastic wrap.

References

• All Recipes: Gingerbread Houses
• Gingerbread House Heaven: Fabulous Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas