Flat gingerbread house cookies with white icing roofs, windows and doors: a festive decorating project with a classic molasses dough.
These individual house silhouettes make a small edible village on a serving platter. Doors, windows and roof tiles are piped onto the flat cookies after cooling. The recipe is for decorated cut-outs; it has not been developed for load-bearing walls or roofs.
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Gingerbread House Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 8–12 minutes · About 3 trays, one at a time; cutter shape changes yield
Allow 165 minutes: 55 hands-on, 60 chilling, 30 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- US measuring cups/spoons and digital kitchen scale
- Large saucepan, mixing bowl and whisk
- Rolling pin and parchment
- 3-inch house cutter
- Two 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
- Small piping bags with fine round tips
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Decoration
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt & season
- Gently melt butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar, molasses, salt and spices until evenly combined. Let cool until lukewarm before beating in the egg.
Combine
- Whisk flour with baking powder and baking soda, then mix into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains. Dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.
Firm the dough
- Divide into two flattened rectangles, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 60 minutes, until cold and firm enough to roll. Chilling firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate.
Shape
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional, or 320°F (160°C) fan. Roll one cold portion 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured parchment. Cut 3-inch house shapes, lifting them with a thin spatula. Space 1 inch apart. Gather scraps gently and keep unused dough cold.
Check doneness
- Bake one tray at a time for 8–12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes, especially with fan: edges should darken slightly and surfaces look set. Smaller shapes finish sooner.
Cool before icing
- Leave on the pan 5 minutes, then cool on a rack about 15 minutes until completely cold. Outline the roof and walls with white icing, then pipe a door, windows and short roof-tile lines. Optional colored icing can add a small wreath; keep windows drawn rather than cutting holes. Let icing dry according to its packaging before stacking; drying time is additional.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Clean outlines
Roll dough to an even 1/4 inch and keep narrow details cold. Avoid stretching cut-outs during transfer.
Piping control
Outline the roof and walls with white icing, then pipe a door, windows and short roof-tile lines. Optional colored icing can add a small wreath; keep windows drawn rather than cutting holes.
A tidy finish
Decorate completely cooled cookies. Practice the line thickness on parchment before piping the batch.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 5 days | Store fully cooled cookies airtight in a cool, dry place. Let icing dry, then separate layers with parchment; follow any icing storage instructions. |
| Refrigeration | Dough: up to 48 hours | Keep dough tightly wrapped. Let it soften just enough to roll while remaining cool. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months at 0°F (−18°C) | Wrap flattened dough portions tightly, then bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and roll while cool. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months at 0°F (−18°C) | For best appearance, freeze undecorated, cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature before icing. |
| Restoring | Before decorating | For crisper edges, warm plain cookies at 300°F (150°C) conventional for 3–5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Do not reheat iced cookies. |
Notes
- Prepared icing consistency and drying time vary by brand. The amount allows simple piped details; elaborate flood icing requires more icing and decorating time. These are flat edible cookies, not structural gingerbread.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these gingerbread-house construction pieces?
No. These are individual flat house-shaped cookies to eat and decorate.
How do I pipe straight walls?
Hold the piping tip slightly above the surface and let the icing line fall into place. Practice on parchment first.
Can I decorate the cookies the next day?
Yes. Cool and store the plain cookies airtight, then pipe the details when convenient.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
