In honor of National Gingerbread House Day, we thought we would serve up some inspiration and give you a look at some of the most amazing gingerbread houses we could find on the internet, along with some tips for making your own.

Its no surprise, some pastry chefs go a little crazy here.  We took a look around the internet (mostly pinterest) and pulled some ridiculously cool examples.  Take a look:

The White House

This has become a tradition in the White House since 1969.  This year, there are actually 56 gingerbread houses in the State Dining Room, one for each state and U.S. Territory.  (Courtesy Whitehouse.gov)

The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco



If you really want to be blown away, the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco has a 2 story gingerbread house in the Grand Lobby. Photo Credit: Fairmont Hotel.

The Gingerbread Koo-Koo Clock

We are not sure who to credit on this one but we were definitely impressed with the detail. (No, its not a working clock).

Now that we have inspired you, here are some quick tips and things to keep in mind:

Make your gingerbread a day or two in advance, that way it is hardened and sturdy when you assemble.

Cut your pieces out first.  You can find different guides online that provide shapes, measurements, etc.  At bare minimum you will need four walls and some sort of roof.  This is where you get creative.  What kind of house do you want to build?  Will it be a standard cottage, mid-century modern; perhaps a Frank Lloyd Wright?

Icing is the glue that holds the house together.  Standard icing for this is made of meringue, confectioners’ sugar, and water.  You can find a million recipes for this online. You want it to be thick enough to work as glue and hold pieces together but still spread easily.

To color your icing use food coloring.

Embellishments usually come in the form of candy.  Some of our favorites include, red hots used as door knobs, chocolate squares used as roof shingles, and pretzel sticks used to make a picket fence. 

Finally do your best to construct all pieces uniformly.  You want nice square corners and a roof that is centered and evenly balanced.  This will keep the house from imploding in on itself when you start decorating it.

Have Fun!  If you come up with something you are proud of, send us a picture on any of our social media.  We would love to share it.