
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



wow what fabulous gingerbread houses! were doing one this year with my son and i just cant wait!! Oh and a fab giveaway too!! Crossing my fingers
What a great giveaway and beautiful Gingerbread houses!
I would looove to win!
oh i want it so bad!
My two daughters , age 18 and 20 love baking and decorating their creations! A gingerbread house is a must for Christmas. And they would love to each have their own mixer! That would be a blessing!
Amazing gingerbread houses!!!
My daughter is on her way home from college as I type this! One of the things she is most looking forward to when she gets home- make a gingerbread house! This beautiful new mixer sure would help!
I would absolutely LOVE to win!!
Too cute. I plan on hopefully doing this with my son. Awesome giveaway 🙂
I love the mixer and would like to have it!!!!
I love it!!!!! It’s perfect!!!!!!
I want one of these babes
I want one:)
Of course I’d LOVE to win! =)
Wow, I would so love to win one of these mixers. And, those gingerbead houses are spectacular!
Spectacular amazing houses!
And a great giveaway too! Hope to win!
I love it!!!!! It’s perfect!!!!!!
Cutest gingerbread houses ever! I would love to win!! <3
I would love to win the candy apple red kitchen aide mixer – my kitchen would look even more cheery.
I would LOVE to win! I have a really small mixer that works, however I make everything from scratch and definitely need a large mixer. By the way, LOVE those gingerbread hpuses, and thank you for sharing the recipes!
I would Love to win this!!! Thanks for the chance!
Sent over by TomKat studio and can’t wait to look around the blog some more. I would LOVE to win one of these!
I have been wanting a KitchenAid Mixer for SO long! I would LOVE a candy apple red one!
I have been begging my husband for one of these. Hope I win!
Would love to win this beauty! My cousin, Renee’ Simpson Petermann told me about this contest, she also loves to bake and makes wonderful creations!
I would love to be considered for the fun shiny mixer. It is soo pretty and would spread alot of love in my home and community. Thanks.
I want to win. YEAH!
A perfect gift! I would love to win.
I definitely want this. 🙂
Love your Gingerbread Houses and the mixer would look great in my kitchen!
I need one. My other one broke last year.
How awesome are they! I love the rainbow coloured one, so gorgeous, too good to eat!!! I would love to win a KitchenAid mixer.
Lost our home this summer, along with my mixer…this would be a lovely addition to our rebuilt home this spring!
Wow! What an amazing giveaway. I made 5 batches of gingerbread this year for 5 gingerbread houses and borrowed my friends standard kitchen aid. I said to my husband that if I was to ever get a kitchen Aid I would need a giant one – this one you’rte giving away is perfect! Thanks heaps for giving us a chance to win!
I would LOVE a Kitchen Aide Mixer – thanks for the giveaway!
These are super cute! I am rather partial to the pink one since most of my Christmas decorations are pink anyways 🙂
I can’t wait to win and start baking! Love these new ideas, thanks for the chance!
oh, oh,oh those gingerbread houses are presh! i would love to whip some up with a new kitchen-aid mixer!!
Beautiful Gingerbread houses! Perfect gift!
I TWEETED the giveaway!
I LIKED Kitchen Aide on FB 🙂
I LIKED Sweetopia on FB 🙂
I LIKED this blog post because I really DO like it 🙂
What a great giveaway!
what a sweet blog!!!!!! Good luck!!!
I shared the giveaway on my FB page, A Sunday Afternoon. Thank you so much!
Beautiful gingerbread houses! I have always a KitchenAid mixer….great giveaway!
Ohh I sure hope I win so I can make my own bread as often as I’d like to. Thanks to Annette Belnap for sharing the contest!
Your gingerbread houses look amazing! I’d love to try my hand at them with a new kitchen aid mixer!
This is amazing! Praying I win I have wanted one for sooo long 🙂 Thank you so much for the chance!