One of the most fun holiday projects is making & decorating your own festive gingerbread house. You may have used ready-to-go kits before. If you’re wanting something more unique and made from scratch, you’re in the right place! With the right tips & techniques, a wonderful bespoke house can be in your future.

After doing my own research and testing, I’ve put together my own easy-to-follow guide with all the recipes and templates you’ll need to make the best gingerbread houses ever. The Ultimate Gingerbread House Workshop + Guide is available for instant download here. Includes the best gingerbread dough and royal icing recipes, plus printable templates for three house styles—an A-Frame Cabin, Winter Chalet, and Two Story House.

Before starting, figure out your schedule. I highly recommend splitting up some of the steps over a few days—make dough, cut out shapes & bake one day then assemble & decorate another. It’s way less chaotic this way and you’ll get to enjoy the most fun part (decorating!) without being worn down from everything else.

Make sure you get all the ingredients and supplies necessary. The royal icing recipe uses meringue powder which can be found in the specialty baking aisle or online. If you’re going to be hosting a gingerbread decorating party, you can use round cardboard cake boards for everyone to build their house on and easily take home.

The key to gingerbread house making is to just have fun—don’t get caught up on creating something perfect.

Although you can gain inspiration & decorating ideas from this guide, there are so many others out there! Search Pinterest or Google for lots of unique designs to try. If your style is more quirky, find different candy accents to incorporate onto your house. If your style is more natural like mine, you can source fresh herbs, spices, or candied/dried fruits. As you can tell, I prefer the more rustic style gingerbread designs. I utilized lots of cinnamon sticks, star anise, coconut, and sliced almonds. There is no limit to the possibilities!

Take a peek below into the table of contents and one of the printable templates of the 28-page guide. Everything is broken down step-by-step with tips to make your gingerbread assembly and decorating a breeze.

The key to gingerbread house making is to just have fun—don’t get caught up on creating something perfect. Icing and decorations can do wonders when covering up any mistakes! Once you’re done, set them up in a cute display you can enjoy for the holiday season. Adults and kids alike will be so impressed. Enjoy!