Gingerbread Architect: Gingerbread-By-Design/Loreta Wilson
Gingerbread Designer: Loreta Wilson
Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage
The Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage is inspired by a real house "from the internet". I saved a picture of this house eons ago before it became an actual gingerbread house template! I have since conducted a Google-search to try and locate more information about this cute little house, but the internet let me down. So if you know anything about this house, your neighbor maybe? Please let me know!
The cute simplicity of the house caught my attention! Screaming to be a gingerbread house! I can imagine the gingerbread-mom sitting in the front window, sipping her hot-cocoa, watching her darling gingerbread-children heading off to school.
The approximate footprint/size of the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage is 13" wide x 11" deep x 10" tall.
I decided to decorate the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage using only red and white candies and frosting. Not my typical style, but none the less I enjoyed searching for red and white candy.
What is typical for my style, is the addition of kids-playing-in-the-yard. These kids are enjoying a snowball fight, and building snowmen.
I usually use marzipan for my figures but with this gingerbread display I used a mixture of gumpaste and fondant. I wasn't a fan and will go back to marzipan for my figures until I try something else.
The landscaping I kept "cereal" color, using a generic flake and rice cereal, mixed with marshmallows for the trees, bushes, and fence block wall.
Gingerbread House Architectural Style
The Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage is a fun little one-story gingerbread house based on the Minimal-Traditional style house, with a Side Open-Gabled roof (commonly referred to as a Cape Cod style). This style of house was known as the "house that could" - with a simple exterior design that gave the small house the appearance of maximum size. This style of house may be either asymmetrical or symmetrical, and include varied window placement, small porches or carports, and perhaps a half-story finished living space under the roof (think attic bedroom).
This gingerbread house includes a front wing, two porches, and an exterior chimney on the side gable. A fun intermediate skilled house to expand upon gingerbread skills
Roof Style: Side Open-Gable
Roof Pitch: Normal
Chimney Style: Exterior on the gable wall
Special Gingerbread House Design Elements
How-To instructions for special design elements can be found on the Gingerbread-By-Design Blog. I used the following special design element for the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage:
Gingerbread House Decorating Candy
Doesn't everybody have a box of left-over candy stored in their closet, at all times? I'm always scoping-out the perfect candy for my next gingerbread creation!
Below is a list of the candy I used for the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage:
Foundation: Mini-Candy Canes and red M&M candies.
Walls: Left as gingerbread, but I did frost the insides to help with strength.
Roof: Rye crackers. Any fun rough-texture cracker works great.
Chimney: Broken white, grey, and brown Necco candies applied with Royal Icing.
Window Header: Red/Cherry gummy candy slices.
Window Boxes: Mini-Tootsie Roll candies.
Front Door: Hershey Chocolate candy bar.
Front Walkway: Cinnamon stick chewing gum.
Trees/Bushes: Flake cereal/marshmallow treats.
Grass/Snow: Royal Icing, shredded coconut, and a dusting of powder sugar.
Fence Posts: Rice cereal/marshmallow treats, and stacked lifesavers topped with a Raspberry candy.
Children: Mixture of gumpaste and fondant. I don't recommend.
Other misc. house decorations: Red M&Ms, assortment of red “swirly” candies, Red Vine licorice, Pirouette cookies, white candy-coated pretzels, mini-candy canes, silver dragees, red hot candies, and candy coated sunflower seeds.
Not fond of a red and white gingerbread house? Michelle Maple graciously shared her pictures, and she beautifully decorated her house in a blue and white theme!
Gingerbread House Templates
Download e-Template
Download the e-Template to your electronic device, print on your printer, cut-out the template pieces, cut your pieces from gingerbread dough, bake, and assemble per the instructions provided. All templates are full-size and ready to use. No enlarging required.
Pre-Printed and shipped Template
Pre-printed templates are also available. These templates are pre-printed for you to then cut-out the template pieces, cut your pieces from gingerbread dough, bake, and assemble per the instructions provided. The pre-printed template packet includes:
Template printed on 67lb card stock
Supply and Candy List
Recipes, including number of batches needed
Rolling, Cutting, and Baking instructions
Assembly instructions with step-by-step pictures
Decorating suggestions, including design elements utilized
Ziplock storage bag to store your templates
All templates are full-size and ready to use. No enlarging required.
Gingerbread-By-Design provides The Best Gingerbread Templates! View the entire collection here!
Gingerbread House Pictures
More pictures of the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage are available at these locations:
Gingerbread-By-Design Photo Album
Flickr Photo Album
Did you make the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage and want to share your pictures? Click here to upload your pictures to be added to the Gingerbread-By-Design Photo Album!
