
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



Thanks Brooke Brock for telling me about this awesome giveaway!
I would love to win!
I would love to win this mixer to give my mom! She doesn’t have one, and I absolutely love mine!
i would like to be the lucky kitchebaid WINNER
I would love to win 🙂
@ Bee:
those look so cute. 🙂 I just started baking and I would love to have a stand mixer… 😀
I would love to win a KitchenAid mixer. I think I would go for red! Thanks for having this contest!
I love the silver stand mixers, they are beautiful and functional.
This would make it a great x-mas gift since she never had a mix and she usually does it by hand and would make it alot easier for her, I hope I win.
I’d love the mixer in black. So sleek!
I would LOVE to win!
I would love love love my own stand mixer! I have burned up so many hand mixers trying to make bread! lol
KITCHENAID….having to use my left hand due to right one being crushed in car accident…= )@ ellen:
Your gingerbread houses are amazing – I want to eat ALL of them! I would love a KitchenAid mixer since my girlfriend and I are going to try cooking and baking together in the new year and winning a mixer this holiday season would be such a great way to get started!
Oh, this is amazing! I would sooo love to win. Thanks for the opportunity!
i would love to have a candy apple red one! 🙂
i would a-like to win
Would love to win!!
I would love to win!!!
Would love the red candy apple mixer. It would make baking so much easier.
Forgot to mention that Amy Rouse sent me ~ don’t know how to edit my original comment
I love to bake and do so on pretty much a couple day basis the way they eat it up around here. This would just make my life a whole lot easier when it comes to making cakes, cupcakes or cookies!
i wanna win!!! i wanna win!!! pleeeeeezzzzzze?!??!! *smile* sure, a hand mixer gets the job done…kinda… but oooooo how delishisss (ok i really do know how to spell i promise) would it be to have one of these mmm drooling (yes over a mixer…) lol
Can I please have this for Christmas please!!:D
I’ve never made a gingerbread house. I can’t even begin to imagine how long that took you to do one, let alone all of them! They’re gorgeous!
What do you do with all of them?
I’m DYING to win this! Candy Apple Red? Yes PLEASSSSE!
I would love to win the candy apple red mixer for one of my best friends. As much as I would love one, she needs it more. She is constantly baking cookies for cancer fundraisers that some mutual friends do. She is on a limited budget, but she will set aside the money and time to help out! This would help her a lot and show her how much I appreciate her !
A Kitchenaid mixer would be priceless in starting my own baking business!
Happy holidays!!
Oh my goodness, I would LOVE to win this Kitchen Aid mixer!
OMG!!! I would love the Candy Apple Red KitchenAid. I have been teaching my three girls to cook and bake. A KitchenAid would make this so much easier. My oldest is 17 and the poor girl could use all the help she can get. 😉 Thanks for this offer and Good luck to everybody who enters. 🙂
I would love to win a KitchenAid Mixer. I’ve always wanted one.
I would love to win a new mixer! Mine is about 13 years old and seems a little sluggish.
I’d like to win!
I have been looking FOREVER for one of these that is reasonably priced and have not been able to afford it… A giveaway is perfect! Thanks Jessica Beegle for telling me about this! 🙂
I want to win
I would love to win!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I would just love to win a new Kitchen Aid mixer.
That would be a dream come true!!
Amy Rouse sent me!
Kitchen-Aid Rules!!!
One of these would really speed up the process of making homemade dog food….in big batches that can be frozen. One of these in RED! How fun.
I would love to win! I love to bake and my old kitchen aid is making some interesting noises.
Those houses are adorable! I would just love this KA mixer. So many times that size would come in handy.
I would love to win a Candy Apple Red Mixer. It would go perfectly with the kitchen of the house we’ll be getting after the first of the year! 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness. This thing looks AMAZING!
Omg! I have wanted one of these forever!! And it would help me survive my new gluton free diet!!
Trying to win one for the WIFE!
Very cute houses! I could use the mixer!
I would LOVE to win!
Thanks:)
I would love a new Kitchen Aide mixer!