Gingerbread House Recipe: Perfect for Christmas!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 0.75 cup molasses
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 egg whites, divided
• 15 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, divided
• 10 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 cup assorted candies, or as needed

Instructions

1. Prepare all of your gingerbread house ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses and egg yolks until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cloves, ginger, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth gingerbread dough forms.
4. Form the gingerbread dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.
5. Create paper templates for your gingerbread house: cut out four wall panels and two rectangular roof panels.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, divide the chilled gingerbread dough into 6 portions, making two slightly larger than the rest.
7. Roll out the four smaller dough portions to 1/4-inch thickness and use the wall templates to cut out four walls for the gingerbread house.
8. Cut out windows and a front door in the gingerbread house walls as desired.
9. Roll out the remaining dough portions and use the roof templates to cut out two roof panels. Use any remaining dough to cut out decorative shapes with Christmas-themed cookie cutters. Transfer all gingerbread pieces to the prepared baking sheets.
10. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Allow the gingerbread pieces to cool completely at room temperature for 8 hours to overnight.
11. Prepare the royal icing: In a large bowl, lightly whisk the 2 egg whites. Gradually beat in 3 ¾ cups of confectioners' sugar, adding more if necessary, until a smooth, stiff icing forms that holds firm peaks.
12. To assemble the gingerbread house, pipe a line of royal icing along the length of one side wall onto a wooden cutting board. Press the side wall firmly into the icing so that it stands upright, using cans or jars for support if needed.
13. Take an end wall and ice both side edges with royal icing. Pipe a line of icing on the board at a right angle to the first wall, and press the end wall into position. Repeat with the other two walls until all four walls are connected.
14. Allow the walls to harden together for at least 2 hours. Keep the remaining royal icing in the bowl, covered with a damp towel, and topped with a plate to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate until needed.
15. Pipe a thick layer of royal icing on top of all the walls and carefully position the roof panels, ensuring they overlap the walls to create eaves. 
16. Pipe a line of royal icing along the crest of the roof to securely hold the two pieces together. Let the royal icing set completely until firm, approximately 8 hours to overnight.
17. For decorating, lightly whisk the remaining 4 egg whites in a large bowl. Gradually beat in 10 cups of confectioners' sugar, or more as needed, until a smooth, stiff royal icing forms. Pipe snow onto the roof and decorate the gingerbread house with your favorite candies.
18. Complete your gingerbread house by dusting a thin layer of sifted confectioners' sugar over the finished creation for a snowy effect.

Nutrition

• Calories: 418 kcal
• Fat Content: 7 g
• Fiber Content: 1 g
• Sugar Content: 67 g
• Sodium Content: 153 mg
• Protein Content: 3 g
• Cholesterol Content: 35 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 87 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g