Gluten-Free Gingerbread House

This gluten-free gingerbread house recipe is easy to make, rolls out perfectly, and makes a sturdy house for decorating!

I’ll be honest – we’re not the best at decorating gingerbread houses, as you can see in the photos, but we sure do have fun trying!

For years now, I’ve been baking gluten-free for my husband, who has celiac disease. I don’t make everything gluten-free – the kids and I enjoy more than our share of sourdough. But when it’s family activities, I try to make it edible for everyone.

And that’s where this recipe comes in.

We decided to make half the recipe, make just one house this year, and decorate it together, and the rest of our gingerbread dough was made into cookies.

Ingredients for a Gluten Free Gingerbread House

This recipe is very similar to gluten-free gingerbread men, which are easy to make and fun for everybody to decorate.

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. I like to use my blend, or King Arthurs all purpose baking blend
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 34 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For assembly, you’ll also need royal icing, a piping bag for the icing, and various candies for decorating, such as candy canes, gumdrops, and whatever else sounds fun. We mainly used decorations from jars of sprinkles we found at Walmart.

Substitutions and additions

When it comes to baking for our allergy-friendly purposes, there’s rarely one size fits all, and often, we’re dealing with more than one allergy, so we need to be able to make substitutes.

The primary allergen here is egg. I have not tested this recipe with an egg replacement, but it’s pretty sturdy, so it’s worth a try.

Molasses. You can substitute golden syrup or sorghum – I’ve done it more times than I’ve used real molasses since my family used to farm sorghum when I was growing up – it’s a big product in Tennessee. The flavor and color will both be a little lighter. I prefer it.

The spices. Feel free to use your favorite blend of spices. If you prefer more or less of a particular spice, find the balance that works for you. I recommend keeping the total volume the same for consistency purposes (In this recipe, that would be 4 3/4 teaspoons of spices total).

Tips for making the best gingerbread house

Looking at our photos, you may think I have no pro tips to offer you.

I have no decorating talent to offer you. That’s a different subject.

Here are the main pro tips you need to build a sturdy gingerbread house that will stand up to your decorating efforts:

• Do not underbake the cookies. Remember that this is more about decorating than eating, so don’t be afraid to err on the crunchy side.
• Let the gingerbread pieces cool completely before using. It’s best if you let them set overnight.
  
• Use Royal icing. This is an icing made of egg whites and confectioner’s sugar. It hardens quickly and sturdily, so you won’t have to hold your pieces in place very long before they’re essentially glued together. The only drawback to royal icing is that oil breaks it down. This shouldn’t be a problem for the house itself, but ensure your decorating bags and tips are completely grease-free. Use this simple recipe to make with fresh eggs or this one for pasteurized eggs.

How to make a gluten-free gingerbread house

So we have covered all the ingredients and tips for success; now it’s time to bake.

This recipe makes two houses or one house, and several gingerbread men.

Download the Gingerbread House Template Here

1. Start by printing and cutting out your gingerbread house template
2. Preheat oven to 350º
3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together, and set aside
4. In a larger mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter, and brown sugar together until fluffy
   
5. Beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla
6. Stir in dry ingredients. I find it best to add about 1/3 of them at a time rather than dump the whole thing in at once.
7. Mix until the dough forms a nice ball
   
8. Turn dough onto a floured surface, and use a rolling pin to roll to about 1/3 inch thick.
9. Arrange the gingerbread house template over the dough, and cut with a knife or pizza cutter
   
10. Transfer dough onto a baking sheet, with an inch or so between each piece. The dough shouldn’t spread or rise, but you want air flow between pieces for even baking.
11. Be sure to follow the instructions on the template for cutting two of each piece, etc. There is an optional chimney.
12. If needed, gather dough scraps up and roll again to finish cutting.
    
13. Bake the pieces in the oven for 15 minutes until the edges are fully set and begin to darken. The center should be slightly soft but much firmer than you would want for a normal cookie.
14. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To assemble your house:

1. Pipe a layer of royal icing onto the side edges of the house and press gabled front and back sides to them, holding for about a minute, until icing is set.
   
2. Pipe another layer of icing over the gables and press roof pieces onto them, holding for another 1-2 minutes until the icing sets.
3. Pipe a layer of icing along the roof ridge to help secure the roof.
4. Decorate as desired. 

Storing gingerbread house:

If you need to transfer the gingerbread house to a container to transport it somewhere, I recommend using icing to “glue” the bottom of the house to a cake board or plate so that it won’t slide around inside the container.

Allow the house to fully dry before putting it in a container to transport or store.

More Christmas recipes for you:

• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bars
• Gluten-Free Hot Chocolate Cookies
• Gluten-Free Butter Cookies (like the ones that come in tins!)
• Gluten-Free Cranberry Kuchen
• Soft Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

 

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