Which Candies Are Best For Adorning Gingerbread Houses?

Gingerbread house decorating can be a fun and creative project, with various candies like gumdrops, candy canes, M and M’s, fruit strips, marshmallows, and Hershey’s kisses being popular choices. These candies can be used to create a confectionery wonderland that will leave you and your loved ones in awe.

To create a beautiful gingerbread house, add candy canes, small details like silver balls, jelly babies, and jelly tots, and other small sweets to the windows and doors. Spice drops and Dots are great for building a perimeter around the house or adding details on level surfaces. Stick with red and green spice drops for a traditional color palette, or use Dots for a burst of color.

Multicolored chocolate pebbles are perfect for creating stone siding, a chimney, or walkways. Other popular candy options include Necco wafers, gumdrops, Spree Lifesavers Pull n Peel Twizzlers, Nerds, M and Ms, and Mini M and Ms.

In bulk, you can find Lemonheads candy canes, Frosty Nerds, Brach’s peppermint Christmas nougats, and Gobstopper snowballs. Ingredients for these candies include gum drops, assorted candy, royal icing, and Meringue Powder.

Some great decorations to use include skittles, M and M’s, gum drops, gum drop wreaths, chocolate malt balls, Teddy Graham cookies, and jelly beans. To get started, use these gingerbread house candy ideas and print out a printable shopping list.

What supplies do you need to decorate a gingerbread house?

A gingerbread house kit typically includes gingerbread panels for walls and roof, icing for decoration, candy pieces like peppermints, chocolates, gumdrops, or licorice, and sprinkles. These kits are generally edible, except for some plastic or cardstock figures as decoration. Most have a one-year shelf life before going bad, but it’s important to check the expiration date. Building and eating the kit sooner will result in a fresher taste. Some kits may include plastic or cardstock figures, which should not be consumed.

What kind of candy do you use for gingerbread house?

Peppermints are a classic decoration for gingerbread houses, making them easy to decorate. Sprinkles are a versatile addition to decorating cakes and cupcakes, adding color or snow to frosting. Larger sprinkles like sugar pearls can be used as snowballs, while novelty sprinkles like gold stars and leaves can create edible wreaths or paths leading to the front door. These sprinkles can be used to outline details on the house, add a dusting of color or snow, and create a visually appealing and festive look.

How do you attach candy to a gingerbread house?

To create a festive roof decoration, spread or pipe white icing on the roof, decorate with HERSHEY’S Premier White Creme Chips, and add a chimney using a diagonally cut PAYDAY Peanut and Caramel Candy Bar. For a bold holiday striped roof, use TWIZZLERS PULL ‘N’ PEEL Red, Green, and White King Size Candy diagonally across both sides, alternating colors. Trim extras along the front, back, and edge. Line the roof ridge with red and green HERSHEY-ETS Candies or unwrapped JOLLY RANCHER Candies for a spectacular finish. To make icicles, use a small round tip with the tip pointing up and slowly squeeze the icing, releasing pressure as you reach the desired length.

What type of candy for gingerbread houses?

Peppermints are a classic decoration for gingerbread houses, making them easy to decorate. Sprinkles are a versatile addition to decorating cakes and cupcakes, adding color or snow to frosting. Larger sprinkles like sugar pearls can be used as snowballs, while novelty sprinkles like gold stars and leaves can create edible wreaths or paths leading to the front door. These sprinkles can be used to outline details on the house, add a dusting of color or snow, and create a visually appealing and festive look.

What are gingerbread houses decorated with?

Gingerbread houses are novelty confectionery made from cookie dough, cut and baked into components like walls and roofing. The base material is crisp gingerbread, and model-making with gingerbread uses boiled dough to form edible statuettes or decorations. These houses are popular Christmas decorations. Ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity, with its origins in Europe at the end of the 11th century when returning crusaders brought back the custom of spicy bread from the Middle East. According to French legend, gingerbread was brought to Europe by Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis in 992, who taught gingerbread cooking to priests and other Christians.

Gingerbread descends from Medieval European culinary traditions, with monks in Franconia, Germany, shaping it into different forms in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm and 1395 in Nuremberg, Germany. The guild in Nuremberg began employing master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread in the 17th century. The traditional sweetener is honey, and spices used include ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.

Gingerbread figurines date back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practiced in the 16th century. The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits is from the court of Elizabeth I of England, where she had gingerbread figures made in the likeness of some of her important guests.

Can you use chocolate to stick gingerbread house?

This recipe involves melting chocolate and almond bark, then transferring it to a disposable bag. Melt the chocolate to glue the edges of the house to the cake board, corners, and roof. After the base has set, add melted chocolate to the tops of the front and back of the house. Apply melted chocolate to the bottoms of the tree and gingerbread men. If using a baker’s blow torch or hot plate, melt the edges of each piece and connect them. Finally, pipe melted chocolate around the bottom of the house and sprinkle it with sprinkles.

How to make candy glass for gingerbread house?

Create a sugar glass by mixing sugar, water, and corn syrup. Pour the mixture into the baked gingerbread window holes and crush it into pieces. This recipe is for sturdy gingerbread dough with minimal spreading, but not suitable for cookies. Making gingerbread houses from scratch requires time and planning, including creating templates, making dough, cutting shapes, and whipping up icing just before assembling.

How to attach candy to gingerbread house?

To create a festive roof decoration, spread or pipe white icing on the roof, decorate with HERSHEY’S Premier White Creme Chips, and add a chimney using a diagonally cut PAYDAY Peanut and Caramel Candy Bar. For a bold holiday striped roof, use TWIZZLERS PULL ‘N’ PEEL Red, Green, and White King Size Candy diagonally across both sides, alternating colors. Trim extras along the front, back, and edge. Line the roof ridge with red and green HERSHEY-ETS Candies or unwrapped JOLLY RANCHER Candies for a spectacular finish. To make icicles, use a small round tip with the tip pointing up and slowly squeeze the icing, releasing pressure as you reach the desired length.

What can I use to stick my gingerbread house together?

To create a gingerbread house, two methods are recommended: using icing like Royal Icing (with Meringue Powder) or burnt sugar as glue. Royal Icing is a traditional method that has been used for generations and is delicious. Burnt sugar can be melted in a pan on the stove and dipped in gingerbread parts, creating a solid house. Roll-up fruit leather can be used for stained glass windows, while buttercream frosting can be used as paint. Buttercream frosting, filled with the flavor of C and H® Powdered Sugar, can be colored with food dye to transform the house into any color or left white to create a snow-covered winter cottage.

How to easily decorate a gingerbread house?

To add a special touch to your gingerbread house, consider adding additional sprinkles and candy. Add ornaments to your icing trees, add lights to your holiday garland, or create a cute walkway with jumbo sprinkles. Building and decorating a gingerbread house for the holidays is a wonderful tradition to share with family and friends. With simple supplies and decorating techniques, you can turn four cookie panels into a home sweet home. For visual learners, visit Wilton’s YouTube Channel for a video on Easy Gingerbread House Decorating Techniques.