
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



Such a great giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity!
I would love to win one if these stand mixer in red!
I would love to win a bright shiny red KitchenAid mixer to replace my old white one!!!!
What a dream to win a Kitchenaid mixer! I bake from home every week, this would be fantastic!!! Thanks 🙂
I would love to win this!!!
I would love to win a mixer and be able to share some baking & decorating time with my twin daughters & my son!
Your gingerbread houses are wonderful & I love the miniatures, too!
and Love From the Oven sent me!:)
I would love a candy apple kitchen aid-your gingerbread house is adorable.
I want to win the silver stand mixer 🙂
I have had the wonderful opportunity to use a KitchenAid mixer BUT, it wasn’t mine. I would love to have one to use at home. 🙂
Love KitchenAid! This mixer would make life so much easier 🙂
With a Black Storm Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, I could bake up a storm for everyone this holiday season!
I WOULD LOVE TO WIN THE RED BEAUTY!!
There are no words to describe how estatically (is that a word?) happy I would be to win this 7-quart mixer.
I would love to own this mixer in candy apple red!
I would love to win one of these! I have always wanted one, but can’t afford it yet!
This mixer is gorgeous! My mother-n-law just got one for her birthday, and I am so jealous!
I wish I was as talented as you and could make something half as cute as these gingerbread houses!
I would love to win this mixer so I can make lots of goodies with my grandchildren!
Would love this!
my friend amy rouse referred me, i’d love to win one!
I would like to win; Angie Vinez sent me.
I would love to win this mixer so I could make lots of different goodies with my kids! They love helping out in the kitchen!
The candy apple red would be a great addition to my kitchen!
Defintiely want to win!
I want the red one soooooooooo bad!!!!
These houses are gorgeous
I would love to win these mixers. I’m going to try making your gingerbread icing now. Thanks!
I have always wanted a kitchen aid mixer! I love to bake and having one would make it so much easier and faster!
I follow you on twitter
Dthern
I would love to win a KitchenAid stand mixer! I’ve been wanting one for the longest time!
It is amazing God bless you, sure I would love to win the red one..Mayan sent me
I would love to win a mixer in either Storm Black or Medallion Silver…surprise me!
All the colors are gorgeous and it would be hard to choose but I would love to have that problem because I won!!!
Would love to win this!
I would absolutely love to have this!!!
You are AWESOME!!!
Of course, everyone would to win one. However, It would be the only one as well as the last one I would ever buy.
I sooooo want to win one! I love the candy Apple red color!
It would be soo amazing to win this!! Thanks for the opportunity!!
The first thing I’d make would be TONS of icing then tons of cupcakes! 🙂
I would love to win one of these amazing machines, in Black Storm!
I Really Really Really need one!! And really want one please make my year and let me have one in silver!!! Pretty please!!
Much like everyone else, I’d love to win one. My wife has wanted one for years we just can’t seem to find the money.
I would love to win a mixer!
I’ve been looking for a good Royal Icing recipe.
I would love to win the Candy Apple Red Kitchen-Aid for my wonderful wife. We have been married for 17 years and she has always wanted a kitchen aid but with 5 children it just hasn’t happened yet. I know that this would make her year. Thanks for the chance to try winning one for her.
It would be wonderful to see a candy apply red mixer sitting on my kitchen counter.
I would love one in white!
A mixer for me please! xo
This would be so awesome to win!
I would love to win. I love baking cookies and everything else and my mixer won’t hardly work when it comes to the thicker stuff. Thanks