
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



I would LOVE to win! 🙂
I would love to win a kitchenaid mixer!
I like kitchenaide on facebook
I like Sweetopia on Facebook
I shared this giveaway with all my facebookies!
I want to win for my mom, she referred me. Donna B
This is such an amazing giveaway!
I liked this blog post
I would love to win this!!!! ♥
It would be awesome to win the mixer, would help a lot with my baking~ I love to bake! 🙂
I like sweetopia on fb!
I would love this, I have always wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer.
I would Love to win the Mixer, I need it, Mine is about worn out!! I love sweetopia and love to make cookies!
How awesome! I have a dinky little 4 quart Kitchenaid and any time I want to double something I have to make it twice. It would be awesome to have a bigger, more efficient one!
I would love to win a mixer! Love the red!
I WANT THIS! 🙂
Awesome giveaway, I would love to win! 🙂
I like kitchenaid of fb Would love to win
I like sweetopia on fb
I would so love to win a kitchen aid mixer! Oh the things we could bake…
I would LOVE to win my mixer is dying 🙁
I would love to win!
I would love to have a KitchenAid mixer like this!!! I bake so much, but I am lacking all the right tools!
My friend Lisa Phillips told me about this comp and promised me the first batch of cookies if we win!
I would love to win.
I like sweetopia on fb
I would love love to win!
omgosh i would LOOOOVE to win!! *fingers crossed*
I like kitchen aide on fb
I would absolutely LOVE to win this mixer. Mom would love to have hers back, I’m sure!
I need to win this so I can bake up some yummy Holiday Goodies.
I would absolutely LOVE to win a kitchenaid mixer, I want/need one so bad!
I used to use these at work!!!! they are amazing! i have a small one from the 70’s or something i got on craigslist… vintage mint green. does the job but was definitely not made for how many cookies i make!!!
Would love this
Yes, yes, yes, I would love to win this mixer!
Awesome giveaway!!! I would love to win this:)
I would like to win!
I love your blog. Your photos are wonderful and the gingerbread houses are darling! Happy Holidays!
Hi, it would make my christmas to win my dream appliance 🙂
I hope I did the additional entries correctly…would love to win!
I like Sweetopia on Facebook.
I would absolutely LOVE to win one of those! Thanks so much for the chance 🙂
I would absolutely LOVE to win! Thanks!
The miniature interior is the most ADORABLE thing ever! I love all of the individual little pieces. The mixer, the gingerbread house IN the gingerbread house, the itty bitty gingerbread people (I presume were decorated by gingerbread people…), and I would totally use the sieve to sift some flour for a cute confection of my own! Love the rest of your site too; it’s so inspiring.
I would absolutely LOVE to one one of those mixers! Thanks for the opportunity!
I want one! the medallion silver looks cool
I would absolutely love to win!!! 🙂
I hope I win this 🙂 My mixer died today making royal icing for gingerbread houses.
I’ll like to hv that mixer n i’m willing to pay for the shipping… :-))
I would LOVE to win!!!