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Introduction : Gingerbread House Decorations
For centuries, gingerbread house decorations have made celebrations sweet and special. Let’s take a simple look at the history, techniques, and trends that make gingerbread houses a beloved part of holiday fun. Check out our whole article below to understand more about this:
Classic Icing and Candy
To make your gingerbread house decorations look like it has snow, use royal icing with a piping bag or a small tool. Put the icing on the edges of the roof and other parts. You can make swirls, peaks, or smooth patterns to look like snow. Royal icing is good because it’s white and gets hard.
For more gingerbread house decoration:
Gumdrops are colorful and sugary candies. They can add color to your gingerbread house.
M&M’s are small chocolates with a candy shell. They come in many colors and can be used to make patterns or add color.
Peppermint candies are hard and taste like mint. They usually have red and white stripes. You can crush them or use them whole for a minty and festive touch.
To attach these candies, use the royal icing like glue. Put a little icing on the back of each candy and press it onto the icing-covered parts of the house.
Be creative and place the candies in a way that looks nice. You can make designs like windows, doors, a path, or cover the whole roof for a candy look.
Pretzel Fencing
Break the pretzel sticks into smaller pieces. Pretzel sticks are thin, rod-shaped snacks made from salty dough. You can use them for snacking or as decorations.
To make smaller pieces, gently break the pretzel sticks. The size of the pieces depends on your preference and the gingerbread house’s size. Breaking them into smaller parts helps create individual “pickets” for the fence.
Now, let’s make royal icing:
Royal icing is a mix of confectioners’ sugar, egg whites or meringue powder, and water. It’s like edible glue for baking and decorating.
Attach the pretzel pieces with royal icing:
Use a piping bag or a small spatula to put royal icing on the edges of the gingerbread house decorations where you want the pretzel fence. The royal icing acts like glue to stick the pretzel pieces to the gingerbread.
Place the pretzel pieces to create the fence:
Press the broken pretzel pieces onto the royal icing-covered areas. Arrange them like a picket fence. You can make it rectangular or curved, depending on how you want it to look.
Leave a little gap between each pretzel piece to make it look like a classic picket fence. This makes the decoration more appealing.
Let it dry:
Wait for the royal icing to dry completely. This helps the pretzel pieces stick firmly to the gingerbread house, making sure the fence stays in place.
Once the royal icing is dry, your gingerbread house will have a charming pretzel picket fence. It adds a rustic and delightful touch to the overall design. This decoration idea mixes the salty crunch of pretzels with the sweetness of gingerbread, creating a visually appealing scene around your gingerbread house.
Marshmallow Snowmen
You need marshmallows, which are soft and fluffy sweets. They’ll be the bodies of your snowmen.
Place the marshmallows in the front yard of your gingerbread house to make the snowmen. Stack them to create the body, arranging them how you like.
Use Royal Icing for Decorations:
Royal icing is a sweet, hardening glue made from confectioners’ sugar, egg whites or meringue powder, and water. It’s for sticking things together.
For the eyes and buttons, you need mini chocolate chips. Here’s what to do:
Put small dots of royal icing on the marshmallows where you want the eyes and buttons.
Press mini chocolate chips into the royal icing dots to make eyes and buttons for the snowmen.
Add Pretzel Stick Arms:
For arms, you’ll use pretzel sticks. They’re thin and crunchy. Here’s how to do it:
Put a bit of royal icing on the sides of the marshmallows where you want the arms.
Gently press pretzel sticks into the royal icing to make arms for the snowmen.
Let It Dry:
Wait for the royal icing to dry completely. This makes sure the mini chocolate chips and pretzel sticks stay in place on the marshmallows, creating the snowmen’s faces and arms.
Following these steps will make a fun and festive scene with marshmallow snowmen in your gingerbread house’s front yard. The mix of soft marshmallows, sweet royal icing, and crunchy pretzel sticks makes it both visually appealing and tasty for the holidays.
Cereal Roof Tiles
Choose Cereal for Roof Tiles:
You can use cereals like Shredded Wheat or Chex. Shredded Wheat looks shredded, and Chex has a square, textured shape – both look like roof tiles.
Make Royal Icing:
Royal icing is sweet, hardening glue made from sugar, egg whites or meringue powder, and water. It sticks things together for baking and decorating.
Stick Cereal with Royal Icing:
Break or cut cereal pieces: Depending on your gingerbread house’s size, break or cut the cereal into smaller, tile-sized pieces.
Use royal icing as glue: Put royal icing on the roof of your gingerbread house decorations in small parts. The royal icing sticks the cereal pieces.
Place Cereal for Roof Tiles:
Press cereal onto the icing: Push the cereal pieces onto the royal icing areas of the gingerbread house. Arrange them like rows, slightly overlapping to look like roof tiles.
Create texture: The cereal’s texture makes the roof look rustic and real, like it’s thatched or tiled.
Let It Dry:
Wait for the royal icing to dry completely. This makes sure the cereal pieces stay on the gingerbread house decorations, making a strong and good-looking roof.
Follow these steps, and you’ll make a special, textured roof for your gingerbread house. It gives a cute and rustic look, adding a fun touch to your design while bringing in the crunchy cereal texture for a cool visual and feel.
Fruit Slice Windows
Pick Bright Dried Fruits:
Choose vibrant dried fruits like apricots or kiwi. They should have flat, smooth surfaces. These fruits are great for making window shapes.
Make Icing for Sticking:
Use royal icing or simple icing made from confectioners’ sugar and water. Royal icing works well because it sticks things together for gingerbread house decorating.
Shape Dried Fruit into Windows:
Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut dried fruit slices into window shapes. Make square, rectangular, or arched windows, depending on your design.
Remove seeds or pits: If the dried fruit has seeds or pits, take them out for clean and smooth window shapes.
Stick Fruit on Gingerbread with Icing:
Apply icing to the gingerbread: Use a piping bag or a small spatula to spread icing where you want the dried fruit windows.
Press fruit slices onto the icing: Push the cut dried fruit slices onto the icing-covered areas. The icing acts like glue, holding the fruit to the gingerbread house.
Create Stained Glass Effect:
Overlap and arrange: To make a stained glass effect, overlap different colored fruit slices or arrange them in a pattern. The natural colors of the dried fruit will show through, making colorful and vibrant window designs.
Let It Dry:
Wait for the icing to dry completely. This makes sure the dried fruit stays securely on the gingerbread house decorations, giving you colorful and edible stained glass windows.
By doing these steps, you’ll give your gingerbread house a special and natural touch. It’ll look whimsical with stained glass windows made from colorful dried fruit slices.
Coconut Snow
Use Coconut for Snow:
Get shredded coconut – it looks like tiny snowflakes. You often find it in baking and can make your gingerbread house decorations look snowy.
Get the Base Ready:
Make sure your gingerbread house decorations base is ready and flat for the coconut snow.
Put on the Shredded Coconut:
Use your hands or a tool to sprinkle or spread shredded coconut on the base. Cover it like a snowy landscape.
Press it down gently: Pat the coconut softly to make it stick to any icing or frosting on the base. This gives a realistic snowy look.
Add Sparkle with Sugar or Glitter:
Get sparkling sugar or edible glitter – they make things shiny and magical. Sparkling sugar looks like crystals, and edible glitter adds a subtle sparkle.
Put on Sugar or Glitter:
After covering the base with shredded coconut, sprinkle sparkling sugar or edible glitter over it to make the snow look extra special.
Spread it evenly: Make sure the sugar or glitter is spread evenly for a magical look.
Let it Set:
Wait for any icing or frosting used to stick the shredded coconut to set and dry. This makes sure the coconut snow and sparkles stay in place.
Candy Cane Columns
Use Mini Candy Canes:
Get mini candy canes – these are smaller versions of regular candy canes, often in different colors and flavors. People like them during the holidays.
Make Royal Icing:
Make royal icing – it’s a sweet, hard icing made from sugar, egg whites or meringue powder, and water. It works like glue for baking and decorating.
Arrange Mini Candy Canes:
Put them around the entrance: Place the mini candy canes around the entrance of the gingerbread house to make columns or pillars. You can arrange them in pairs to build the column structure.
Put on Royal Icing:
Use a piping bag or spatula: Spread royal icing on the sides of the candy canes that will touch the gingerbread house. The royal icing sticks them in place.
Stick Candy Canes:
Press candy canes onto the icing: Gently push the candy canes onto the icing-covered parts of the gingerbread house. Make sure they’re stuck well, and the royal icing keeps them attached to the gingerbread.
Let it Dry:
Wait for the royal icing to dry completely. This makes sure the candy canes are firmly stuck and won’t move or fall off.
Optional: Add More Decoration:
Decorate more if you want: If you like, you can add extra details to the candy cane columns with more royal icing, like swirls or small candies. This makes them look even more festive.
By doing these steps, you’ll make a cute entrance to your gingerbread house with mini candy canes as decorative columns. The royal icing not only makes them look good but also keeps them firmly attached to the gingerbread structure.
Licorice Roof Trim
Use Licorice Pieces:
Get twisted or braided licorice – it comes in different colors and has a unique texture, perfect for decorating.
Get the Gingerbread Roof Ready:
Make sure your gingerbread house roof is ready and has a flat surface for putting on the licorice trim.
Choose and Cut Licorice:
Pick licorice in colors that match your gingerbread house.
Cut it to size: Use scissors or a knife to cut the licorice into pieces the same length as the roof edges.
Put Licorice on the Roof Edges:
Use royal icing or edible glue: Spread royal icing or another edible glue along the roof edges where you want the licorice trim. Royal icing is like a safe and edible glue.
Press licorice onto the icing: Stick the cut licorice pieces onto the icing-covered parts of the roof. Make a decorative trim along the edges, making sure the licorice sticks well to the gingerbread.
Make It Whimsical:
Twist or braid licorice: If the licorice isn’t already twisted or braided, you can do it yourself before putting it on the roof. This adds a playful and creative touch to the trim.
Let It Dry:
Wait for the royal icing or edible glue to dry completely. This makes sure the licorice trim stays firmly on the gingerbread roof, making it look whimsical and fun.
Follow these steps, and you’ll make your gingerbread house look even better by adding licorice trim to the roof edges. The twisted or braided licorice gives it a playful touch, bringing creativity and fun to your edible creation.
Conclusion
In the world of gingerbread house decorations, joy and creativity collide to build sweet memories. Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or a first-timer, embrace the festive tradition, and let your imagination run wild with the infinite possibilities of edible architecture.
