Halloween Gingerbread House

Spice up your holiday celebrations by making your very own Halloween Gingerbread House. Here I’ll show you what you need, how to make it, and even include tips for making your very own Haunted house.

What Inspired this Halloween Craft

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:

Materials for a Halloween Gingerbread House

Because there are a lot of elements in this project, the materials list looks quite long. However, don’t worry if you’re missing a thing or two!

Decorating (optional)

• PEEPS® Halloween Marshmallow Toppers
• Black Betty Crocker™ Cake Icing
• Candy & Sprinkles for decorating
• Betty Crocker™ Whipped Frosting
• Food coloring

Cookie House

• 1 Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mixes
• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Royal Frosting

• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 5 to 10 teaspoons warm water (105°F to 115°F) 
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

Other items you need:

• Mixing bowls
• Mixer
• Parchment paper
• Scissors
• Cookie sheet
• Cooling rack
• Piping bag or Ziplock with the corner snipped off
• Cardboard base covered in Tinfoil (See Picture #4)

NOTE: **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.).

How to make a Halloween Gingerbread House

I’m guessing that you don’t have a gingerbread house kit left over from last year. And even if you did, you probably wouldn’t want to use it haha.

 So, since they don’t sell kits in October, we get to make our own! Now I know that can sound daunting, but I promise it is no harder than baking a regular batch of sugar cookies.

• Here’s how to get started: 
• 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit – This way, your oven should be ready to bake by the time you have the cookies ready to go in the oven. 
• 2. Prep the cookie dough – Then, dump the sugar cookie mix into a bowl. Follow the instructions by adding in the egg and butter. **Insead of the 3 tbsp of flour that is suggested, add ⅓ cup flour to add stability. Mix until well combined. 
• 3. Get out your cookie cutter set – 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.
• 4. Roll out cookie dough – 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)
• 5. Bake your cookies – Place cookies with the parchment paper on your cookie sheet and bake them for 15-17 minutes at 375 or until they are a dark golden brown. You’ll want them more cooked so that they will get firm. 
• 6. Let cookies cool – After baking, allow to cool completely and then stack and freeze for 30 minutes before assembling the house. (picture #2)
• 7. Prep the icing – While the cookies cool, put your icing into a piping bag or Ziploc. Make sure it is room temperature, otherwise, you may have a hard time getting it to squeeze out or spread onto your cookies. I just used 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. 
• 8. Frost each of the cookies – I start with one of the peaked ends and add royal icing to the sides and bottom. (picture #3) It’s easiest if you do steps 8 and 9 for each cookie before moving on to the next one. 
• 9. Build your “Haunted” House – Once the edge has been frosted, place your cookie 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. 
• 10. Let it set and then decorate! – Give your Halloween gingerbread house 20 – 30 minutes before adding the roof. (picture #4) Once you have a roof, you can go to town on decorating your spooky treat.

Tips for Decorating

• 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.

Halloween Gingerbread House FAQ’s

Do you have to use a Betty Crocker cookie mix?

• Of course not! You are welcome to try out any other brands or recipes. I have only done this project using Betty Crocker’s Sugar Cookie mix, so just know that other recipes may need a little adjustments in order to get the same results. 

How long does this recipe take to make? 

• In order to make this craft, it will generally take 2-2 ½ hours. This is largely due to the prep time, bake time, cooling time, and setting time. You won’t have to be in the kitchen for that whole time, but you will need that much time to make and decorate your own Halloween Gingerbread house. 

How much does this recipe make? 

• This recipe is for a single gingerbread house. 

What if I don’t have a piping bag? 

• An easy substitution for a piping bag is to take a large Ziploc bag and cut a small amount off of one of the corners. However, there are 2 things to be careful of: start by cutting the hole smaller than you think AND don’t squeeze too hard when pushing frosting out of the hole.

Don’t Go Yet!

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties or activities, but you still want to help your kids have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!

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