Skip the work of a full gingerbread house and try making a homemade lighted gingerbread house corner decor this holiday season! This gingerbread house decor is simply one giant gingerbread cookie with two small supports on the sides. Tuck it back into a cozy corner of your kitchen and it will create the perfect evening or nightlight glow when you add a faux flickering candle behind it.
I really wanted to add a pretty gingerbread house to my kitchen decor this Christmas season. Because of busy schedules, I knew I wouldn’t be able to find the time to make and decorate an entire homemade gingerbread house. I had an idea to just create one giant cookie with sugar windows that would allow light through. Then I attached two small supports to the sides. I tucked it back into the corner of my kitchen and added some faux flickering candles. I surrounded it with sugar jars, brush bottle trees and some twinkle lights.
This little decor piece smells delicious and it was so fun to decorate. I think I will have to make one every year!
All evening the flickering glow from our “shortcut gingerbread house” made our kitchen feel so cozy and welcoming! This project was so fun and it makes a great, affordable and simpler version of gingerbread decor for your home. Have your kids help decorate or even make their own mini versions.
Which recipe did you use to make this Lighted Gingerbread House Corner Decor?
I simply used my favorite soft gingerbread cookie recipe below! I did allow the cookie to bake a few extra minutes until I knew it was really brown on bottom and it would be nice and sturdy for this project. Be sure to allow your gingerbread to cool before trying to assemble it. You will also want to make sure any windows and a door are cut out and removed before baking.
Favorite Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
- 12 oz full flavor molasses I like Brer Rabbit brand
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 cups all purpose flour
Gingerbread Decorating Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract Lemon or almond are also delicious!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand mixer blend shortening and brown sugar. Pour in 12 oz bottle of molasses (see note). Add water, soda, spices and salt. Slowly add flour, one cup at a time until dough has incorporated it all.Spread 1/2 the dough on a floured counter. It will be sticky so use flour to cover counter, top of dough and even a little on your rolling pin. Roll to 1/4" thick. Use cutters to cut your favorite shapes. Use other half of dough and incorporate scraps. If the dough becomes to dry, simply wet your hands 2-3 times while working the dough to re-moisten it. Cut shapes and place on pan.Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be puffy and soft! Let them set on the sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a cooling sheet.Once cool, frost as desired. FOR GLAZE FROSTING:Mix together milk, powdered sugar and extract. Glaze should be thick enough that it doesn't run off of the cookies but thin enough that you can pull the spatula up and make a ribbon that doesn't break. If needed, just add 1/8-1/4 teaspoon water drops to thin slightly. The glaze should be easy to apply to cookies by using piping bags and cutting a small corner off the tip, or just using a gallon zip lock bag and cutting off a small corner. I typically just make one batch but if my kids want to decorate I make them each their own batch. I suggest adding gel food coloring to color!
Notes
Adding sugar glass windows:
Here is the simple way I added faux glass windows to my shortcut gingerbread house. It was so easy and made such an impact! The house is full of character and the light from the candles is extra cozy and glowy behind it.
After baking your gingerbread house, place it back on top of a parchment sheet. Set aside.
Add 1 cup of sugar with a 1/2 cup of Karo (corn) syrup to a microwave safe glass bowl. Stir together and place in microwave for 5 minutes. Sugar mix will be boiling. Be very careful when you remove it! Use a measuring up to transfer and pour the mixture into the window cut outs. The sugar will set within 10-15 minutes or less. Frost windows after sugar is fully cooled.
Tools needed for this project:
You actually don’t need any of these items to complete this project but here is a small list of what I used that made the process easier.
- Parchment sheets
- Sharpie Marker and Scissors
- Sharp knife or pastry scraper
- Frosting piping bag
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Process for designing my Lighted Gingerbread House Corner Decor
For this project I decided to use a piece of parchment to trace out my gingerbread house shape. I wanted to make sure it was nice and tall but I also wanted it to be one piece that would fit on a baking tray.
After making a rough tracing of the shape, I then used one more piece to make a final template. I cut out the template and rolled out my gingerbread. You will want to make sure to roll out your dough on a parchment sheet (especially if it’s large) so you don’t have any tearing while transferring it. You will also need to be sure to cut out any windows and doors BEFORE BAKING! It’s too hard to cut them out after the cookie is baked.
Once the cookie and extra pieces are baked, be sure to allow the gingerbread to fully cool before assembling. I like to pipe on my frosting and allow it to set before hot glueing the pieces.
Once assembled, add 1-2 faux flickering candles to create a beautiful lighted evening or nightlight glow for a cozy corner of your home.
Other gingerbread posts you might enjoy:
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you feel inspired in some way.
This was such a fun project and I am excited to see your individual and unique take on it! I hope it brings some coziness to a corner of your home this holiday season. Be sure to check out a few other fun ideas below.
Check out these other cozy Christmas ambiance ideas my friend’s shared!
Free Printable Christmas Village Window Stencil by Ella Claire & Co. | Warm Christmas Decor by Craftberry Bush | How to Create Christmas Ambiance by French Country Cottage
Lighted Gingerbread House Corner Decor by Handmade Farmhouse | Winter Wonderland Christmas Ambiance by Azure Farm | Simple Ways To Incorporate Christmas Ambiance In Your Home With Candles And Lights by Zevy Joy
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This is a really cute idea!