
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



This mixer would be a terrific addition to my kitchen!
Love love love this kitchen aid mixer!!! The gingerbread houses are beautiful!
Wowzser! I would enjoy this thoroughly … I would put that machine to use every single weekend and maybe even take it for walks!!!
Thank you for this lovely opportunity!!
Jess
My friend John Snediker let me know about this giveaway. I’d love to win!!!
I would really love to win!!! I need a new mixer mine died this year while making cookies!!
I would like to win a KitchenAid Mixer!
I want to enter this and Alicia Robertson sent me!
Wendy Darling sent me to enter.
Wendy Darling told me about the giveaway. Would love to win.
would love this as a Christmas surprise!!
I’d love to win! Thanks to my brother John Snediker who sent me this link. He is the best cookie maker I know.
id love to win!
I’m simply DYING for a 7 quart kitchenaid, my mixer just broke and I’m using a handheld…can’t get too much done with that 🙂
Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas and tutorials. The mixer would just be the icing on the cookie! Thank you to Toute Sweet for the share on FB.
Those gingerbread houses are amazing! Your creativity and energy to make seven of them is awe-inspiring. I’d love to win the mixer but just seeing your results from using one is a pleasure.
The gingerbread houses look amazing! I made one this year, and have plans to make a themed one next year. Can’t wait!
I’d absolutely love this!!!
I have a kitchenaide that i love. My daughter is the one I want to win this for. Shes going to go to culinary school for baking and shes dying to have a kitchenaide mixer!
I would LOOOOVE to win would be a dream come true!
Would really love to win this 🙂
This would be so great to get for the holidays!! : )
I have four kids. I would love a new mixer!
I would love to win this!
I SOOO want to win 😀
I would die if I won this!
I would LOVE to win the red one!! =)
I’m hopping i get one for christmas. But an early christmas present would be great!! any color! thanks for posting this
Heck yes I sure do wanna win!!
Melissa R. wrote:
I want to win! I would love to mix up some delightful treats with that mixer!! 😀
I love Kitchen Aid…It would be great to have one!!! Love all your different gingerbread houses!!!
I would love to win!!!
Wow…LOVE this giveaway and your site! Yay!
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! 🙂
I love KitchenAid!!!!All the appliances in my kitchen are kitchenAid.
I would love to win the KitchenAid Mixer!!!!!I would choose black!!!!!LOVE IT!!!!
This would be such a blessing in my household!
Would love to win a Kitchen Aid Ultimate Bowl Lift 7 qt mixer! Black Storm would look gorgeous on my yellow counter 🙂
I already have liked Kitchen Aid on Facebook; will like and share the rest of the list as well 🙂
I love Kitchen Aid and would love to win a stand up mixer!!! Gorgeous GB houses 🙂
I love your gingerbread houses– and the idea of one as a temporary doll house. lol What an adorable kitchen!
I’d love to win one of your mixers–in red, please!! 🙂
I am a military wife and my husband has been in Recruiting for 10 years now. i am always baking something for there office or some military or church function. I would love to win the kitchen aid. It would make things so much easier and fun.
Winning this mixer would not only really excite me, but help greatly with all my baking adventures.
Another awesome giveaway! I would love to win this mixer!!!
I would love to win the kitchen Aid.
I absolutely love baking, and a mixer would make my life soo much easier! As a college student, I don’t think I’ll be seeing extra money for one of these anytime soon!
I would love to win this! I love to bake up goodies all the time. Would make a awesome addition to my kitchen!! I just liked you on facebook also 🙂
that’ll look neat in my tiny kitchen! THanks sweetopia and kitchenaid for the chance!
I LOVE my Kitchenaid mixer! I’d love the bigger one even more 🙂
My husband is currently deployed, so I’d love to mix him up some goodies using this mixer!!!
LOVE the red mixer!!!
Oh. My. Gosh. The tiny kitchen equipment…I want some!