Fun fact: 2020 was the first year that I ever decorated my own gingerbread house! Given that my office couldn’t have an in-person holiday party, we were all given a gingerbread house decorating kit, and we had a decorating competition on Zoom. For those of you that don’t know, I’m competitive….like, reallyyyy competitive. And given that this competition pseudo fell into the baking/cooking/crafting arena that I know and adore, I knew that I had to go all out. Here’s a glimpse at my setup to give you an idea of what I was working with.
Below, I’ve thrown together a few tips that will surely help you make the best gingerbread house around. And PS, I won my work competition, so they’re definitely tried and true!
- Get inspired! There are so many fun ideas on the internet that can help spark creativity for your gingerbread house. A simple Google or Pinterest search will help you narrow down the look you’re going for. I settled on a classic red and green theme, but there are some very intricate and whimsical photos out there as well!
- Plan ahead. I knew that my gingerbread decorating kit was not going to have a ton of red and green decorating options, so I did a quick Target pick-up order ahead of time that included things like candy canes, red and green M&Ms, and sprinkles. Having extra supplies on hand also allows you to indulge in a few as you decorate. It’s truly a win-win situation.
- Protect your surface! This project will inevitably get messy, so be sure to throw down some foil or newspaper on your table before starting. I also recommend getting any and all spatulas/utensils/supplies out at the beginning. Nobody needs sticky hands rummaging through their cabinets.
- Royal icing in those little squeeze pouches is a pain. in. the. butt. The icing is either too hard, too runny, or the piping bag just bursts open. I recommend purchasing some fluffy white Betty Crocker frosting (the kind you’d frost a cake with) to use instead. You can then use spatulas to frost your roof, and you can create your own DIY piping bag by scooping frosting into a Ziplock bag, cutting the corner off, and gently squeezing the frosting out.
- Remember that food coloring in the back of your cabinet? Break it out! I recommend stirring up a few colors of frosting in paper cups (yay for easy clean up)! This is an easy way to step up your gingerbread house game.
- Don’t forget to create a landscape! I had some expired marshmallows in my cabinet (I know, ew), so I threw a bunch of those on a sheet pan to make an easy winter wonderland. But who doesn’t love a festive walkway and landscaping? You can even use non-edible items to spruce it up. I’ve seen tinsel, pine cones, lego pieces, and more used, so get creative!
How did your gingerbread houses turn out this year? Do you have any fun hacks? Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo
Jennifer