
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 LOVE LOVE LOVE this mixer! It would be a great addition to my kitchen!!
einai teleiooooooo!!!! fusika kai tha hthela na to kerdiso!!!! kalh epituxiaaaaaa….
What a beautyfull machine!! The perfect aid for every woman in the kitchen!! I really need it!! Good luck to all of you!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE the little decor!! I would adore the silver!! Thank you and Merry Christmas!! 🙂
I just love KitchenAid!!!
Merry Christmas!
I hope i win this!!!!!
Einai teleia!!!! To kokkino de uperoxo!!! 😉
I LOVE KitchenAid! Happy Holidays!!!
I really like this mixer…it’s the best help you can have in the kitchen…i will never stop baking with it!!
i’ve been daydreaming about a mixer! there are so many recipe i’d like to try but i just can’t do it with the tools i have now. please please! <3
I’d love if Annette Belnap and I could both win one!
Dear Santa i want the red KitchenAid for Christmas!!!! ⛄ Ho Ho Ho!!!
love kitchen aid 😀 the red one roooooocks
it’s awesome indeed!!!! I wish Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to all of u!!!! :*
I really want to win this mixer! It’s the best help in the kitchen!!!
My daughter and I could have a great time with a mixer! We love to bake.
Oh! I have been wanting a KitchenAid Mixer FOREVER!! I keep burning up hand-helds.
Echo
echodannelle[at]gmail.com
καλα χριστουγεννα να εχουμε ολοι με υγεια κ χαρα!!!μακαρι ο αι βασιλης να μου το φερει αυτο το δωρο!!!!υπεροχο!!!!
nice giveaway. Merry xmas to all !
Wow!! This mixer would have been sooooo perfectly suited for the 8 batches of gingerbread I made last week!!! Kitchenaid is the best!!!
Would love to win a kitchen aid mixer!
merry christmas to everyone with hapiness!!!!i hope santa ‘ll bring that gift!!!it would be very nice!!!
A medallion silver would be perfect for my kitchen!!!i wish good luck to all contestants!!!!
I neeeeeeeeeed this mixer soooooooooo bad!!!!!!!
I LOVE the red one 🙂 Jeanine Thomlinson sent me 😉
I have always wanted one of these to bake with! Out of the zillion people who really want this– I really hope I am the lucky one! 🙂
nice giveaway. Merry xmas to all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would absolutely LOOOOVE to win this!!!
I have dibs on a silver OR even a black one — would “go” in my kitchen SO WONDERFULLY!!!
OH MY….I could really use that powerhouse of a mixer. I love doing double batches of icing and dough and this beauty would help dramatically!!!
Thanks for hosting such a wonderful giveaway!
Hope I will be one of the lucky winners 🙂
Follow you on Facebook
Wow i love it!!!!! I hope im the lucky one 🙂
So excited for a chance to win. What a cute blog. Definitely will be following you!
I would love to win the black one:)
This mixer would really help my small but growing business! = )
what a great Christmas gift!!! it would make baking easier!!
Would love to win one!!
just perfect!!!!!!! i would love to win!!!!!!!!
i would love to win the red one as Christmas present!
Your gingerbread houses are just beautiful. And I definitely would love to have a red Kitchen Aid mixer. Thanks for the opportunity.
Would love to win a pretty RED one!
To θέλω!!!!
What a beautyfull machine!!!!!
would love to win the silver one!=)
Oooooo…..me please!
Been drooling over one of these mixers and I LOVE to bake! Thanks for the great giveaway! PS – Love your site!
Would absolutely love to WIN!
Perfect gift for anyone! Would love to own this beauty! Good luck to everyone and Merry Christmas!!!
I would love to win this! Such a neat idea. And the gingerbread houses look great!
I have a “vintage” KitchenAid stand mixer (vintage = an original!). It’s starting to fail me so a brand new KitchenAid would be utterly fantastic! White or red …. lovely!