
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 your work and the mixer too.i hope to win it
I would definitely love to win!
I would love to win this.
Pick me me me!
That mixer is my dream.
i would LOVEE this mixer it would be great for me as I am trying to start a baking business from home!!
i would love the Red or black one :]
I’d love to win one of these beautiful KitchenAids!
I would love to win this!
This would go perfect in my kitchen. I would love to win this. Heather Moore sent me.
This is an amazing giveaway. I’d love to win. 🙂
I would LOVE to win one of these mixers, I just love Kitchenaid products!
Would love to win a KitchenAid to share with my daughter-in-law!
I would absoluetly love to win this mixer!
I’d love the red Kitchenaid!
I almost burnt my mixer up this year making royal icing. It started smelling really bad and I had to make 6 batches, so I would Love this!
I would love the red one !
Awesome giveaway!!!!
I bake a lot to share with whoever I see and one of those bigger mixers would cut my work and time in half!!!
KitchenAid mixers are the best!
:o)
I would love the red one. 🙂
My Granddaughter Rachel Kirk, would love this mixer, as she is starting her cupcake business, her hand mixer just doesn’t do the trick. Thanks for considering her. PS: we’ll send you a cupcake 😉
What would be better than winning a RED kitchen aid for Christmas!?!?!
Your houses look awesome! I would love to win a Kitchen Aid mixer to make my own 😉
Ooooo… I’d love to win a giant mixer! Just think of all the fun we’d have with this gorgeous, KitchenAid mixer. Thanks so much for sponsoring this giveaway! 🙂
Your gingerbread houses are gorgeous!
Thanks for the opportunity to win this lovely giveaway!
LOVE these gingerbread houses and would LOVE to win a Kitchen Aid mixer – they are absolutely the BEST!
I soooo need this mixer! and it’s been on my wish list for 6 yrs!!
I would love to win this and then give it to my mom!
OH MY _ WOW I SOOOO want to win this mixer!!
I would love to win this!
OOOOOOOOO so pretty and shiny!!! Would LOVE to add this to my kitchen :o) Thank you for the chance to win!!
I would love to win this!
What a great giveaway! I’d love to win!
My Friend Nicole Hartford sent me, we would both love to win this gift 🙂 🙂
How fun! Thanks for the fabulous giveaway! I looove Kitchen Aid mixers!
I would love to win this mixer! :o)
Love all your amazing tutorials…. Would love to win this mixer to try out new recipes. 🙂
My wife does all the baking for holidays. This would be awesome.
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this! I wouldn’t even care what color it was! It would help me tremendiously is starting my business within the Texas Cottage Food Law. Thanks for the chance to enter!
I would love to win this, love baking cakes
I love the kitchen aid more than I do Cheryl Cole!!!!!
Please let me win haha
I would love the red one…..Wow! Amy Rouse sent me!
How generous!!! I would so love to have one!!! this would make mixing things much easier!! Pick me heehee!!! Thanks!!
I’d like to win, and tree huggin mama sent me 😉
Please enter me in the Kitchenaid Mixer Giveaway. My wife and daughter would be ecstatic to receive one of any color!!
I would LOVE to win!
I would absolutely love to win a red mixer! Glad that Annette Belnap referred me to this site so I could enter!
Oh how fun would love it
Would love to win a red mixer; it’s always been on my “want” list!
Amy Rouse sent me!
I would love Tao win!
One of these days I going to get me one of these mixers!