6 batches of my gingerbread recipe…
4 batches or 4 kg of royal icing…
and goodness knows how much candy later…
is what it took to make the 7 simple and whimsical gingerbread houses & gingerbread dollhouse facade I had planned to make this year.
I’m so happy I just managed to get them all done!
They’re why I haven’t posted in a while, but I wouldn’t have managed to even make them as fast as I did without my new, 7-quart bowl-lift KitchenAid mixer.
Sigh. It is a thing of beauty.
Not only is it pretty to look at, it’s pretty powerful too. It had no problem mixing the 6 batches of gingerbread I mentioned earlier. Amount-wise, with this mixer, I only had to make the dough twice! (3 batches at a time). For the royal icing, I only had to make 2 double-batches and still have leftover icing which I’ll use for decorated cookies.
To show you how I made the icing in my new mixer, I finally made another video – here’s a how-to on making royal icing for your gingerbread houses:
{Video} How to Make Royal Icing for Gingerbread Houses
Click here if you can’t see the video.
If you’d like to make royal icing for your gingerbread house(s), and would like printable recipes, I’ve included a single and double batch recipe here for you, as well as a classic royal icing recipe made with egg-whites especially for those of you who can’t find meringue powder. The first two recipes listed here are adapted from cakecentral.com’s user Antonia74. The recipe made with egg whites is adapted from the author of Gingerbread for All Seasons, Teresa Layman.
You can find a template for a gingerbread house and a video on how I put the house together, HERE.
I bought most of my candy at Old Thyme Confections HERE.
Royal Icing Recipe for Gingerbread Houses (One or Two Batches)
Click here for the Printable Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe Made with Egg-Whites
Click here for the Printable Recipe THE PRINTABLE RECIPE HAS A TYPO! IT SHOULD SAY 1 KILOGRAM (KG) ICING SUGAR, NOT 1 pound (lb).
A quick note about royal icing – if you’d like more information on how to store it, how long it lasts etc., please click here and for a video on find royal icing consistency for decorating cookies, please click here.
It was completely worth the one hour’s drive to Toronto to buy the mixer (I had to drive there to get one as it’s a new model and the residential model is exclusively available to Williams-Sonoma right now. The NSF commercial mixer is more readily available. You can find it on Amazon here), as the amount of icing I went through for the houses and the facade was really something!
You might be wondering by now what a ” gingerbread dollhouse facade” is. In fact, I didn’t know what to call it, so I just kind of made the name up. I know you’re not supposed to play with your food, but I couldn’t resist making a little gingerbread “house” that our H-banana could play with this Christmas. Truth be told I had wanted to make an all edible interior too, but time-wise, that was just not going to happen. I can’t wait to see how she reacts.
And another confession, I’m not sure who’s going to enjoy her gift more, her or I. Lol. I think I’ve fallen in love with miniatures.
I mean, really. Those little cookies are barely 1 cm long.
And oh my goodness, a little sieve and whisk! I want to try sifting flour with it! (No, haven’t done it yet… stress the yet).
By the way, there’s a tiny version of something in the ‘gingerbread dollhouse facade’ that I’ll possibly be giving you for Christmas – except it will be adult size. Can you guess what it is? Chances are, if you’ve read the title of this post, you already know 😉 .
You got it!
Ultimate 7-Quart KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway!
To celebrate the Holiday season and help you with your Christmas baking, I am hosting a giveaway for TWO 7-quart Ultimate KitchenAid Mixers!
You’ll be able to chose from the following available colours:
I am so excited and thankful that KitchenAid is sponsoring this giveaway for you! Good luck!
Here’s how to enter:
You have at least five chances of winning – each option below gives you one chance, and you’re about to see how there are even more possibilities.
Either use Facebook or your name and email to enter the contest below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest is not running on Facebook and although I appreciate your comments on my Facebook page, those comments will not be entered into the draw. Again, you must leave your comments here.
*
Announcing the Winner of the *TWO* 7-Quart KitchenAid Mixers!
First of all, thank you to all of you who entered; I was delighted and touched by your sweet, funny and passionate responses.
I really WISH I could give away as many mixers as there were entries; you dedicated bakers and sweet-tooths deserve it!
There is one winning comment number though, and it is:
Congratulations!!
The winner is Nicole Irwin Cross, entry #16,754!
Please contact me with the best way to reach you so that you can claim your prizes.
Thank you to ALL of you how entered! Blessings to you this holiday season!
xo,
Marian
Molly L says
I would LOVE to have one of these mixers! They are amazing and would look so cute in my house!
Jennifer J says
I love your blog. I am just getting into cookies and so far I am just making the basics. Maybe I will be able to catch up with that candy apple red mixer. Beautiful! Thanks
Bonnie Tan says
Please please I would LOVE to have the red one!!!!
Kathy M says
I would love to win!!!
amena says
I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it
Shawn says
My wife, Lauren, is very deserving of this. Baking with a hand held mixer takes her a long time. She loves to bake and this would be an amazing gift you could give to her. Please pick my wife!!
Debi says
Love your ideas. Please enter me in the drawing
Shannon says
I WANT to win! I LOVE Kitchenaid mixers!
Brenda says
Ahh I would love love love to win!
Sarah Downen says
Christmastime in my house equals lots of cookies! A Kitchen Aid mixer would be a dream! Thanks for running this giveaway!
Cinnette says
Merry Christmas and good luck!!
Renny says
I would love to have this!
Jamie Harrison says
Somehow left a comment on the wrong post… let’s try again. I hope I win! 🙂
Tana says
your gingerbread houses are adorable!!! And that mixer is a beauty too! 🙂
Yumi says
Me please!
michael veaso says
I would love to win the kitchen-aid mixer.
Big shout out to sweetopia and to Red Rose Cakes, who led me here.
Shauna says
I would LOVE to win one!! They are amazing!!!
stephanie miller says
oooh such beautiful work!!!!! i would love to win one of these!! too bad they dont actually decorate the houses too!
Melissa Oien says
mary brumbaugh sent me to win the mixer
Jodie smith says
This would be such a wonderful Christmas present for me! I’m always in the kitchen baking for my family!
Ameena says
Would love to win the mixer! Thanks
Nancy says
Love the mixer and would love to win!
roula says
Good luck all ,that will be my dream come true :).
Lorraine says
I want the red!
Di panno says
Frist things frist merry Christmas and happy new year
You have to be in it to win it lol
KitchenAid are the state of the art cooking tool
Anyone would be proud to own one ..
Ameena says
Would LOVE to win! Thanks
Grace Hoss says
This would be so cool to win. I was just telling a friend of mine the other day I needed one of these!
Shea Harrison sent me. 😉
dan choiniere says
I would love to win for my wife! She deserves it !
Nada says
Would LOVE to win! Thanks
Sharon says
Thanks for the awesome giveaway and happy holidays!
Daniel Gregoire says
DO WANT.
Amy Heavin says
I love this!! What a great giveaway!!
Caitlin Wildes says
Oh I would love to win one! They are so beautiful!
Martin says
Shannon Blake Owens told me we should both enter to win a Kitchenaid mixer. I hope we win!
Sunshine Humfleet says
Please!!! I would love to make REAL Christmas cookies next year with a sexy mixer and bakig soda I will be WINNING!! Merry Christmas
KATHY NAIL says
I WOULD LOVE THIS FOR MY DAUGHTER LORRAINE BURNETT AND FOR MYSELF. HAVE ALWAYS WANTED THESE.
Kimberly says
I would love a kitchenaid 😀 I love to bake and decorate cakes and cookies. Every time I make gingerbread cookies I burn out handheld mixers 🙁
Dee says
Hello… I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to win this beautiful mixer!! : )
Michelle Maric says
Bigger, better, shinier and redder…. Of course i would love to win a new shiny red kitchenaid!!
Sima Silverstein says
My old kitchen Aid just broke. This would be a great replacement!
cecilie says
yes! would love to!
Modern Cupcake says
Pink would do me just fine!
Nancy says
Really, really hoping I was nice enough this year 🙂