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These Exact AIP Gingerbread House Instructions in this detailed post link to the recipe for Paleo AIP Gingerbread Cookies or House recipe — to provide you with more photos, dimensions and details to make the cookie house perfectly, without any figuring or guess work.
Each year, I make this recipe with my kids, and this year, I added measurements to the recipe for you, and more photos of the process and outcome.
It’s a really reliable recipe that I know you’ll love and with which you’ll have fun!
This post also shares some AIP decorating tips.
This recipe is Paleo, AIP, Gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free.
Jump to RecipeHow to make the AIP Gingerbread House
Buttercream Frosting
My AIP Gingerbread House Instructions use 100% compliant AIP Buttercream Frosting to hold the house walls together, which works great.
There are no tricks or tips with the buttercream recipe; it’s really easy and works great as edible “glue”. This year, I did use Grain Brain Palm Oil for the recipe, and I loved how it worked. So I do recommend that product.
Decorations
On the day I photographed, I did use old-fashioned candies, which are not AIP and which we did not eat.
But we made two AIP Gingerbread Houses this year, and the one my kids decorated used raisins, carob chips, crystallized ginger and some other compliant treats great for most on AIP. I give a list of these below.
Paleo AIP decorating ideas for Gingerbread House
What toppings, candies and decorations are AIP-friendly?
Here are some fun ideas:
- Use different piping tips for the AIP Buttercream Frosting to create swirls or straight lines, thick or thin.
- Make Cranberry Gummies ahead of time, to have them ready for decorating your house or yard.
- Raisins or other dried fruits
- Freeze-dried berries, or other freeze-dried fruits
- Homemade AIP marshmallows
- Crystallized ginger (If you buy these in cube shapes, cut them into shapes or slice thinly for windows.)
- Carob chips
- Maple sugar — I sprinkled this over the roof and ground of the yard, and it looks a little like snow, even though it’s not white.
- Gingerbread man or men — This recipe makes enough dough for two gingerbread men, as well as the house walls and roof.
Exact AIP Gingerbread House Instructions
Equipment
- baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 recipe AIP Buttercream Frosting
- 1 recipe AIP Gingerbread Cookies or House dough, unbaked
- ¼ cup arrowroot or tapioca flour for dusting work surface
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
- How to roll out dough on well-floured work surface: Use about 2 tablespoons of the arrowroot or tapioca flour listed in the ingredients. Heavily dust work surface. Separate dough so you are using only about ⅔ of it. Start by flattening the dough in your hands into a rough rectangle, then place onto work surface, and again with your fingers, press into a rectangular shape that's bigger than it was in your hands. When dough is about 1/2" thick, sprinkle dough with more flour, and use rolling pin to roll thinner, about 1/4" thick.
- Here are the measurements of the 6 house pieces you'll be cutting out, with a photo to help clarify: Front and back of house - 3"x3" with the roof length 2" each side, and the middle point almost 4.25"). Sides of the house - 3"x5". Roof pieces - 2"x6". Don't worry too much about getting it exact.
- Cut out the first 4 shapes: The front and back of the house and the sides (not the roof yet). Transfer these to your prepared cookie sheet. Roll out the final ⅓ of dough, and cut the roof pieces. Transfer to cookie sheet. Roll final dough into a thicker slab, and cut out one or two gingerbread men. Transfer to cookie sheet.
- Bake about 11 minutes, but check at 10 minutes. The edges will start getting darker, and the cookies will look slightly risen in spots. Remove from the oven. If you feel the edges could be straighter to make assembly easier, optionally, while the cookies are still warm, use a sharp knife to cut off edges to create straighter lines (pictured below). Then, allow to fully cool.
- Decorating note: Choose to decorate the walls and roof of the house before or after assembly. Both have their advantages and disadvantages: It's easier to decorate the cookies (windows, door, roof tiles etc) before assembly, but once on, it's hard not to smudge your work while you assemble.
- Choose a work display surface. For mine the day I photographed, I used a cutting board. I put a small amount of frosting under a piece of parchment paper, to make the paper stay in place. Pipe a rectangle onto display surface that fits the footprint of the house: about 6" long and 3" wide, but check your cookies to be sure. Butt the walls inside the front and back of the house for these dimensions and the roof pieces to fit.To start: Use frosting to bind two walls together, and place onto piped rectangle. Add final two sides. (Good job! Super fun ...)
- Use frosting to place final two roof pieces on top, first one, then the other. Decorate walls, and roof, as desired with frosting. If you used a piece of parchment or aluminum foil under the house, you may wish to pipe frosting around its border to seal it to the work surface you chose, and for decorative purposes.
- Decorate with Paleo AIP-friendly treats. Ideas include: raisins or other dried fruits, freeze-dried berries or other fruits, crystallized ginger (can cut into shapes), carob chips, Cranberry Gummies, the Gingerbread man or men you made.
Susan says
I’m giving it a five star rating even though I don’t bake. I am, however, a great appreciator of beautiful baked goods and It is such a spectacular and special creation that I cannot keep from commenting. I can only imagine how much fun you must have had doing it with Goldie. I don’t have small children any more but I can picture the wonderful experiences of that day and how gloriously happy Goldie must have been, participating in the making of that amazing gingerbread house.
Megan says
This is so sweet. Thank you, Susan. You are a dear. Yes, the house making brings us both so much joy. Thank you for your fun and loving comment!!