One of my favorite things to do every Christmas season is to make and decorate gingerbread houses with friends and family. It’s always a lot of work but they turn out so cute and always seems worth it in the end, however this year I had too many things on my plate and realized I had to simplify things. I found a way to still decorate a version of a gingerbread house with friends by just making the fronts of the houses. I wanted to share my free template so maybe I can help you host the perfect gingerbread house cookie decorating party as well!
How to Make Your Gingerbread House Shaped Cookies
These gingerbread houses are very simple to make and you only need one cookie per house. I designed some simple gingerbread house shapes that you can download below. So to make your house shaped cookies first print the templates, cut them out and then trace onto gingerbread dough and bake. You can make as many as you’d like and there are 3 different shapes to download. I used my silhouette machine to quickly cut them out but a scissors works just as good!
Gingerbread House Dough
If you don’t have a favorite gingerbread dough, I’ve linked one I like here. I also like to add some nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon to the recipe for that authentic gingerbread smell and substitute crisco shortening for butter. I tell my guests that the cookies are edible but are mainly for decorative purposes. When I’m making a lot of them, I’ll buy the largest cheapest bag of flour on sale I can find to save on cost as well.
- Print out gingerbread house templates
- cut-out gingerbread houses using a scissors or your silhouette cameo if you have one
- roll out gingerbread dough and place the template onto of the dough
- trace around the template with a knife to cut-out the gingerbread house shape
- bake gingerbread houses and let cool
- decorate with icing and candy
Downloadable PDF Templates
What to eat at your gingerbread house decorating party
As I said I was hoping to have a gingerbread house cookie decorating party but somehow keep it simple so for food we went with a charcuterie style buffet. This turned out to be such a great idea because everyone brought something to contribute so there was not a lot of cooking and prep for the food aspect of the day. The one thing I did spend some time on was making my favorite Christmas punch! It’s so fun because it’s served in ornament bulbs and is always a hit with all ages. You can find my punch recipe here if you’d like to try it – you’ll love it!
Have the perfect gingerbread house cookie decorating party that’s as fun as it is memorable! It will surely spark creativity and bring holiday cheer to your family and friends. Whether for kids or adults, it’s the perfect way to celebrate the season with a sweet and festive touch that will add to your holiday decor this season. Let me know if you use the templates to host a party of your own!
