
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



Lucy Machado sent me to this… and boy would i love one … 🙂
I would LOVE to receive a Kitchen Aid for Christmas!!! Can’t wait to share all my baked goods with friends and family. That’s what holidays are all about.
What a SWEET-looking mixer! I’d love to perch this baby on my counter…great giveaway. Merry Christmas!
LUCY MACHADO SENT ME!!! =))))))))
Lucy Machado sent me =)
I would love to win this! I have been wanting a kitchen aid mixer for years! 🙂 winning it would make me the happiest house wife in the world ! To be able to make my baking for my family and friends easier !!! Boy would I die for this!! Would make my Christmas!
I SO want one of these in red! Beautiful! Thanks for the chance!
I would love to win this! The large family my husband and I have and all the goodies I make, this would make everything so much easier! And red is my favorite one!
Such a great give-a-way! I’m a college student who loves to bake(especially sugar cookies!) and a kitchen aid mixer would be amazing to have!
What a wonderful giveaway and incredible gingerbread houses!
I love the miniatures–so adorable! Thanks for the giveaway chance, so exciting!
I would love to win one of these mixers. I have always wanted one.
I just made a huge batch of sugar cookie cut outs and I had to use a hand mixer! I am pretty sure I nearly burnt it up!! This would make my life SO much easier!! 🙂
This is really beautiful! I would LOVE to win this!
I am moving in to my new home tomorrow and would love to be able to win a Kitchenaid Mixer! Your gingerbread houses are fabulous!!! So talented!
You’re so thoughtful and generous! I have the perfect spot for one of these beauties 😉
I would love the opportunity to win a KitchenAid Mixer…candy apple red/Christmas red…would be so appropriate this time of year!! If I do win, my grandson & I are going to tackle a gingerbread house together!! What a fun memory we would make:)
Thanks for the opportunity! Merry Christmas!!
Winning this mixer would be a Christmas wish come true!!!
I would absolutely love to win this amazing mixer! It would totally make my day. Thank you so much for the chance to win!
What I wouldn’t do for a kitchenaid 7 quart mixer ::sigh:: thanks for hosting the giveaway! =]
I tweeted the giveaway! =]
I like Kitchenaid on Facebook! =]
I like Sweetopia on Facebook! =]
I liked this blog post on facebook! =]
I want one of these so bad. I just spent 2 hours mixing the batters for Italian rainbow cookies and my arms are killing me!
wow. that would be awesome if i won! thanks for hosting this giveaway!
This Army wife would LOVE to have a new mixer for Christmas. It sure would make all those batches of cookies I send to my hubby when hes deployed soooooo much easier to make!!!
I would love this to help me improve my baking skills, and make my cookie making experience a lot better! 🙂 Merry Christmas Marian, to you and your family!
I would LOVE to win that beautiful, powerful KitchenAid mixer in Candy Apple Red! What a beauty she is!
That would be so awesome if I won! Great addition to my baking addiction. 🙂
I would love one!!!
My sister shared your site with me. LOVE IT!! Would love to win a new mixer too!
I would love to win a Kitchenaid moxer for Christmas! I love baking for my friends and family.
Would love to win a Kitchen Aid mixer… I am just learning how to bake!!
Love your blog and would LOVE to win the Kitchenaid!
I would LOVE to win the Kitchenaid! I’ve been wanting one since I was a kid!
Love your site and would love, love, love to win a new mixer!!!
I’m so glad I found this blog! I love the miniature kitchen!! My mother had a shadowbox with some miniature kitchen items that I now have hanging in my own kitchen. My Kitchen Aid, also inherited from Mom, is beginning to wear out after years of faithful service! I would love to replace it with the larger, 7-quart model.
i would love to win.
Oh the things I could make with with that beautiful mixer 🙂 It would definitely be a very merry Christmas for me!
I have been dreaming of getting one. What a great Christmas present this would make!
Oh, I so would love a pretty pretty Kitchen Aid ! Please enter me to win !
What a great giveaway!!! Thank you Amy Davis for the info!!
This has been in my wish-list for years 🙂
oooooh- I was sent over by Kit’s Creative Cakes {http://kitscakes.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweetopia-has-sweet-give-away.html} and boy am I glad she linked you up! I would DIE for a silver one of these babies! love the site, love gingerbread houses…
Thanks for the chance to win an awesome mixer!! I’ve been wanting one for years!!
I would love to win this mixer!
This is an amazing mixer.. I would love to follow all my Mom’s recipe’s with this mixer… And I can share all my recipes with Amy Davis too.
I love to bake, this would be awesome to win!!