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Gingerbread House Royal Icing {Video} & KitchenAid 7-Quart Mixer {Giveaway!}

pink-gingerbread-house

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).

Classic Royal Icing Made with Egg Whites Sweetopia

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

Don’t miss out!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This would be the best Christmas gift ever! I love the gibgerbread houses and I will definately try to make one myself as we don’t know them here in Holland. It will be a nice gift for my family! Thanks again for sharing all your knowledge, talent and great recipes!

  2. Sandra wrote:

    Il vostro sito è molto molto fantastico. Sono in Italia e guardo always questo! Mi piacerebbe vincere questo rosso Kitchen Aid! E ‘super!

  3. Wow thank you finally us aussies can enter one of these fantastic competitions. I would so much love a kitchen aid mixer, there so expensive over here!!!

  4. Hi!

    I really love your gingerbread house!..Especially the one with the miniature kitchen & cookies…Can I live in it please??!!~

    Hope that I can win the OH-SO-PRETTY mixer~

    Keep up the GREAT work! Love all of your creations!…

  9. This would be the best gift if ever! It has always been my dream to have one so I could do more cakes and save time and cost

  11. I would love to win the candy apple red mixer. I am newlywed and have started up my baking and such again. This would be a perfect addition to my kitchen. I hope it’s me!!!

  13. Hi,

    I’m getting a new kitchen in y new home and this would look perfect with the Ultimate 7-Quart KitchenAid Mixer in the colour medallion silver. So i hope to win and will accept the cost to ship to my home.

    Love the gingerbread houses you made.

    Regards
    Ineke

  14. Love the gingerbread houses! And thanks for giving us this chance to win an amazing mixer!
    Happy Holidays!

  15. The gingerbread houses are so inspiring. I’ve made some before but they don’t hold a candle to these!

    A new mixer would be so helpful in my kitchen. My little hand mixer is getting the job done, but when I get orders calling for 5-6 dozen cookies, it’s a long night of mixing dough and royal icing.

  18. Seven quart…I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have a 7qt Kitchen Aid. I didn’t even realize they made a 7qt. What a great gift this would be. Thank you for the contest.

  20. Thank you for the giveaway I would love to win it for my mom it will make the perfect birthday present she always wanted one

  21. LOVE the gingerbread houses!! TY for sharing your RI recipe.

    Please enter me for the Kitchenaid Mixer!!

  23. A 7-quart kitchen-aid mixer! Oh my, be still my beating heart! That is absolutely amazing and would be a dream come true to win such a fantastic prize. Crossing my fingers and off to dream about the wonderful confections this could make.

    Thank you for the opportunity to win! Merry Christmas to all!

  27. I am constantly having to borrow my mother’s mixer, so this would be an amazing gift for me!!! I love baking and this would be so helpful!

  29. Amazing video as always! You’d think you were a professional teacher or something. 😛

    I didn’t think I needed a new mixer until I saw that one… what a beaut! I do double batches in my current KitchenAid and it usually gets pretty messy. This would make me the happiest boy on Christmas ever! As a boy I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would want a mixer for Christmas! Maybe little kid John would get a laugh at grown up John… Please Santa…. errr Marian! 🙂

    Love your blog best resource for royal icing on the net! Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

  33. I really really want to win one of these!! I need a new oven too. I had plans to bake lots of cookies for Christmas and my oven died. I was going to go shopping for one but had to have surgery 🙁 so needless to say , my holiday isn’t off to the best start this year. Trying to make the most of it is it’s my son’s first Christmas. 

  35. Thank you for this giveaway! I would really love a kitchen aid to make big batches. They seem very convenient as opposed to a hand mixer!

  37. Oh I love the pink gingerbread and the candy pastel one they are amazing.

    I would love any colour kitchen aid!

  39. Hi Sweetopia!!!I’m here in Iceland and I’ve been following your blog for some time now and it’s just wonderful. I’ve been dreaming of having my own KitchenAid like for ages. I’m currently using a hand-held mixer which is fine but to have one of this would be just nothing short of the best christmas gift ever!!!would love to win:Þ

    Happy Holidays! Gleðilega Hátið (In Icelandic)
    Merry Christmas! Gleðileg Jól(In Icelandic)

    Hopeful,
    Marsha

  40. I’d love love LOVE to have a Kitchenaid!!
    too bad they’re so hard to find here in Australia D:
    those gingerbread houses look so pretty an amazing!!

  43. Great websites! I love the gingerbread house, so cute, seems like a little doll house! 🙂 Keep on doing does great things! 🙂

  45. I ADORE IT!!!

    I never stop drooling over the Kitchen Aid mixers, I have a catering outlet round the corner from me and I drool in their window constantly.

    Candy Apple Red & Raspberry Ice are my favs!!!!
    ps.Merry Christmas, your houses are gorgeous! Ive just linked this on my facebook page at Cookie Queen Kitsch’n.

  46. My poor ole mixer is about to give in! This would be a great way to start the New Year! Thank You!!

  48. wooooowww this is awsomeeee, thanks for sharing your wonderful gingerbread house – luv ur stuff!! oh, and btw i´d love to win the kitchen aid haha! besos from spain <3

  49. Oh my, this contest comes at a great time for me as I am renovating my kitchen. That Black Storm colored KA mixer would go PERFECTLY on my new counters, as my accent color is black.

    I watch your video on making royal icing and I’ve learned something new about the meringue powder. I’ve always used egg whites. Your gingerbread houses are AMAZINGLY decorated. My favorite is the pink gingerbread house….but they are all beautiful! I appreciate your site with all your wonderful tips, recipes, and ideas. I’m also hoping, crossing my fingers and toes, that I’ll see that BEAUTIFUL Black Storm KA mixer on my counters for Christmas!

    HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!

  50. What a nice dollhouse! And I`d love to win too!
    I made a whole gingerbread dollhouse with edible decorations, if you like to see it in my blog heleen.vuodatus.net. I’m going to write it in the blog in English (heleens.com) as soon as possible (too much work and the Christmas seems to come earlier every year :)). I gave the dollhouse for the children’s cancer department in Kuopio Univercity Hospital.
    I wish You Merry Christmas and thank You for this lovely blog!

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