Hello sweet friends… Greeting you from the land of mini Valentine gingerbread houses.
Perched snugly on the edge of a my favorite mugs, so simply decorated but inexplicably endearing in person (hopefully somewhat conveyed in these photos), these mini gingerbread houses are easily some of my favorite crowd-pleaser sweets yet. Gingerbread houses in themselves seem to hold some sort of enchantment with children and adults alike, and these mini ones definitely pick up on that charm, and, best of all, are so simple to make and decorate.
Thanks to The Gingerbread Cutter Company, it’s as simple as using these heart hugger gingerbread cutters to cut out the cookie shapes and assemble like you would any gingerbread house. The only difference is that you aren’t building the house on a base (although you could choose to if you don’t want to perch them on the rim of a mug), so you begin by attaching the tiny walls to the front piece, then add the back piece, let that set for about 15 minutes and adhere the roof pieces.
You can use any cut-out cookie dough but I used my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe along with super strong royal icing, specifically tailored to use for gingerbread houses. You can find a video on making gingerbread royal icing here, and a how to video on assembling gingerbread houses here.
Instagram photo of my cutters from The Gingerbread Cutter Company above.
I can’t wait to make some more mini gingerbread houses – You should see all the different mini house cookie cutter designs The Gingerbread Cutter Company has! I’m imagining a miniature sweet town of sorts… Hmmm, a town I’d call Sweetopia I think. (You already knew I was a cookie nerd right? If not, now you do).
Notes:
Because of their small size (2.5 inch), I went the uncomplicated route and kept the houses fairly plain, choosing to flood a few surfaces with royal icing and dusting one of the roofs with sanding sugar.
Making the cookie pieces as thick as I did (about 5mm or 1/4 of an inch), gives the houses more of a whimsical look. I might try making my next houses 1/8 of an inch thick to see how that look turns out.
The adorable “Good Things Come to Those Who Bake” mug is made by the talented Jilly of JillyJilly. Find so more of her baking themed mugs and super cute goodies here.
The colourful cups and saucers are made by Pip Studio
. Aren’t they gorgeous? Making cookies inspired by the beautiful bird and surrounding designs is definitely on my to-do list.
Having missed making my annual holiday season gingerbread house this year, I was eager to have an excuse opportunity to make gingerbread houses, and although these are perfect for upcoming Valentine’s day, they really would suit any occasion – a super cute mini cookie house sitting snugly on any cup is bound to put on a smile on anyone’s face.
Happy decorating!
xo,
Marian
Thank you Marian!!!! You made simple look absolutely chic! [email protected]
LOVE LOVE LOVE these tiny little houses, Marian!! 🙂
SO cute, really!
These cookie cutters are so awesome!
I just love to stare at these photos.
Thanks for making it a sweet Thursday morning for me <3
xoxo,
niner
Marian, they are just adorable! I have the chalet cutter and tried making a few at Christmas. I had very little success. I am going to try your recipe and see if I can get more uniform pieces. Marian N.
So darn cute!! 🙂
I’m in love with them!
Don’t you just love all things miniature? I do. These houses are adorable.
Unbelievably sweet Marion, thank you!
These are so cute I can’t stand it. And there are no calories right, since they’re so miniature?
Hi Marian, beautiful gingerbread houses. I love it. What a great idea. You are amazing. They’d make anybody smile. Thank you for sharing all your ideas and talents.
ML
Thanks so much Maria! xo
Thanks so much for your comments everyone! xo
Very cute 🙂 And Valentine’s Day is soon! <3
Regards from Denmark 🙂
– Jan
Looks very tasty and those phots are beautiful. May I ask what camera you are using?
Amalie
New to your site but definitely returning. Thanks for sharing.
Good morning,
Hello, i’m from brasil, and i make some cookie cutters like yours, i sell these cookie cutters here in brasil. I want to know if you allow me to use your photos on my web site, i will put the rights of your photos of course.
What you think? i will be very happy with this.
Best regards
Demarcio
Hello Demarcio, I don’t mind as long as you have a link sharing the source of the photo. Thank you!
Thanks a lot
Hi there, did you add baking powder when making this dough? Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Anne,
No, I never add baking powder (or any leavening agent) to my cookies I decorate.
Love this idea! The tea cups are beautiful. May I ask where can I find these?
Thanks Christina! They are from Pip Studio. They distribute to smaller shops, but here is the site if you don’t find them locally. https://www.pipstudio.com/