One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making a gingerbread house. I loved doing it with Grandma and told myself that I would do it with my own children. I have done many houses since then and I look forward to it every year.

When my husband and I got married years ago, we said that Santa would always come to our house and that we would not travel. I am so glad that we made that decision. We love to visit family, but the hustle and bustle of holiday travel with three little ones is not something that I am eager to do. So I look forward to my husband’s time off when we can cuddle and watch movies or take a day trip or two. And to do some of my favorite Christmas activities and traditions. Making a gingerbread house is one of those lovely traditions.
This is the gingerbread dough that I use to make the houses and regular gingerbread cookies. I make a few batches and chill them overnight. When you are making a house, you want to use a cold dough. It will be easier to work with. Over the next few days, I will give you some tips for making houses, but today, I am just going to start with the dough.
Gingerbread House Ingredients //
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup room temperature butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 room temperature egg
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

How to Make // The Steps
Step 1: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Step 2: Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Step 3: Pour in the molasses. I spray the measuring cup with cooking spray so that it slides right out.

Step 4: Scrape the bowl.

Step 5: Slowly add the flour mixture.

Step 6: As soon as the flour is incorporated, turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Step 7: I use the paper to form the dough into a rectangle shape. Wrap up the dough and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Step 8: Roll out the dough onto a floured surface, about a 1/4 inch thick. Flour the rolling pin and use either a cookie-cutter or your gingerbread templates. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or tin foil. Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Let the pieces cool completely on the cookie sheet before you move them.

Step 9: From here, you can decorate them as you wish, or build a house with them.

This is how mine looks finish. You can see how I made it in this post!


Gingerbread House
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe - use to make cookies or a gingerbread house. This gingerbread dough is stable enough to build a house and also makes a really good gingerbread man for snacking.
Ingredients
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup room temperature butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 room temperature egg
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Pour in the molasses. I spray the measuring cup with cooking spray so that it slides right out.
- Scrape the bowl.
- Slowly add the flour mixture.
- As soon as the flour is incorporated, turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- I use the paper to form the dough into a rectangle shape. Wrap up the dough and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
- Roll out the dough onto a floured surface, about a 1/4 inch thick. Flour the rolling pin and use either a cookie cutter, or your gingerbread templates. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or tin foil. Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let the pieces cool completely on the cookie sheet before you move them.
- From here, you can decorate them as you wish, or build a house with them.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
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Friday 21st of January 2022
[…] My Favorite Gingerbread Recipe […]
Amanda
Monday 21st of December 2015
Do you have a pattern to print out??
bakedbree
Tuesday 29th of December 2015
I used one from Family Fun.
Mel
Wednesday 16th of December 2015
do you leave the dough to come back to room temperature if you chill overnight? My dough is rock hard!
bakedbree
Thursday 17th of December 2015
Not room temp, but soft enough to roll.
Marek
Thursday 18th of December 2014
Hi. I'm wondering how You decorate them? With frosting only? They look amazing. Thanks for reply. Greetings from Poland ;)
bakedbree
Friday 19th of December 2014
Usually just white frosting.
Erin
Thursday 27th of December 2012
I was so excited to try this recipe (your pictures looked amazing and I'd never made homemade gingerbread before), but I think I did something wrong. :/ They tasted very flour-y. I'm wondering if I didn't use enough brown sugar. I didn't see an amount in the recipe, so I guessed 1 cup. Did you use more than that? Thanks so much!
bakedbree
Saturday 29th of December 2012
It says 1 cup brown sugar in both places.