Halloween Gingerbread House

Each Christmas we decorate a traditional gingerbread house, for Valentines Day we turn it into a Love Shack, and this year we are making a Halloween Haunted House! When I saw the Halloween themed PEEPS® Brand Marshmallows at Target they practically begged me to use them on a Halloween Gingerbread house. As you know, we host a family Halloween party each year and each family brings a craft, game or activity. Well, these are going to be our craft this year! I’ll make one for each family to decorate together.

Along with the perfect PEEPS® I made life super simple by using a Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix to create the house. Let me walk you through it:

Here are the supplies you’ll need to pick up:

• PEEPS® Halloween Marshmallow Toppers
• Betty Crocker™ Cake Icing in black
• Candy & Sprinkles for decorating
• Betty Crocker™ Whipped Frosting
• Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix

Tips for Creating the perfect Halloween Gingerbread House:

• Follow the package instructions, but instead of 3 TBSP of flour, add 1/3 cup to add stability.
• I used a Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter set that I purchased on Amazon. Depending on the size of yours, you may need to use two packages of the Sugar Cookie Mix.
• When you roll out your cookie dough, place it between two pieces of parchment paper. Then press the cookie cutter into the dough and remove the excess while the cookie cutter is still in place. Then cut away the excess parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch and the parchment paper on the cookie sheet to bake. This will help the house pieces hold their shape while baking. (picture #1)
• Bake for 15-17 minutes at 375 or until they are a dark golden brown.
• After baking, allow to cool completely and then stack and freeze for 30 minutes before assembling the house. (picture #2)
• Use the Betty Crocker™ recipe for Royal Icing in order to “glue” the house together. The Whipped Frosting is going to be used for decorating the base. I start with one of the peaked ends and add royal icing to the sides and bottom. (picture #3) Then place it on your cardboard base and ice the bottom of one of the side walls and press it into the icing on the peaked end. Then repeat for the other side. Add royal icing to the other peaked end and add it last to finish the 4 walls of the house. Let this set for 20 – 30 minutes before adding the roof. (picture #4)

• Once you’ve fully assembled the house, allow it to set up and dry for at least 2-3 hours or overnight if you can.
• Add green food coloring to the Whipped Frosting and use a piping bag with a star tip to pipe the green grass to cover the base you use for your house.
• Use the Black icing to accent the house and add details like a door, window and roof texture.
• Add the PEEPS® Halloween Marshmallow Toppers to create a graveyard, a pumpkin patch and other scenes on your Haunted Gingerbread House.

Be sure to follow along on my Pinterest Halloween board for loads of great ideas for celebrating Halloween! Happy Haunting!

**I know I call it a “gingerbread” house and then use a sugar cookie mix to create it. I figure the term “gingerbread house” refers to the structure we are all familiar with – whatever it is made out of (crackers, cookies, etc.).