Mini gingerbread houses are perfect to use for mugs, as gifts, or even for place settings. These tin houses are a smaller version of our classic gingerbread house. My kids absolutely love to eat them with a mug of homemade hot chocolate. They’re adorable, versatile, and great for the holidays!
They would be perfect for a holiday brunch, serving on a mug filled with hot cocoa for holiday movie night, or a charming holiday hot cocoa bar!
How to Make a Mini Gingerbread House
Supplies
Mini Gingerbread House Cutters
Rolling pin
Mixing Bowls and Measuring Cups
Parchment Paper
Cookie Sheets
Piping Bags + Tips
Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Molasses
- The ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger
- Baking soda
- All-Purpose flour
- Water
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth.
- Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Roll out the dough and use cutters to create the different star shapes.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until crispy. Once the house has finished baking, let it completely cool before building your house.
Gingerbread House Icing
We have the best gingerbread house icing recipe! It’s fluffy and super sticky! Perfect for holding mini gingerbread houses together and for decorating.
Building a Mini Gingerbread House
- Once the houses are baked and cooled, and you have made the icing, it’s time to build mini gingerbread houses!
- Use a piping bag with a tiny hole cut at the bottom.
- Add icing to the sides of the back of the front and back house. Remember, you don’t need to add icing to the bottom of the house.
- Add the sides to the house with icing before adding the roof.
- Wait 30 seconds, and then add the little roof sides.
- Let the house dry for about 5 minutes, then add decorations using frosting or sprinkles.
What To Do With Mini Gingerbread Houses
Holiday Gifts – Wrap them up and give them as gifts!
Table Seating – Write names on the roof and place one at each table setting. It’s a cute personalized detail.
Mug Toppers – These are especially cute served on the side of a mug filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows!
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the most challenging parts of making a gingerbread house is getting to stay together. Luckily, we have the best tips for how to make a gingerbread house stick together. No more falling down gingerbread houses!
Piping bags and tips are crucial to creating a beautifully designed mini gingerbread house. Change out the tips to create different designs. You will only need small tips for mini gingerbread houses. 
Despite your best efforts to keep it wrapped, a gingerbread house won’t last forever. However, you can extend its lifespan by keeping it covered, cool, and dry!
If you want to leave your gingerbread house out in the open without wrapping it, understand that the icing and other accessories will dry out quicker.
It will also be exposed to dust and debris. While it will remain technically edible for a few weeks, it might not taste as great!
As its name implies, gingerbread has a distinct ginger taste. However, this peppery spice isn’t the only one you’ll notice.
You’ll also taste hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and cloves. Gingerbread can be soft and thick or thin and crispy, depending on your preference!
More Holiday Ideas You’ll Love
How to Host a Wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner
The Best Gingerbread Buttercream
Santa Hat Gingerbread Cupcakes
The Best Christmas Cocktails to Make
10 Charming Ways to Decorate Christmas Cookies
Let us know if you make these adorable mini gingerbread houses by leaving a comment and review below!
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Mini Gingerbread Houses
Ingredients
Gingerbread House Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth.
- Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll out the dough and use cutters to create the shapes of the gingerbread house.
- Use the mini gingerbread house cutters to make the shapes and create little houses. You should get about 6-8 houses from one batch of dough.
- Bake for about 8 minutes or until crispy.
- Let the gingerbread house cool before assembling. It will harden as it cools.
- Once the gingerbread has cooled, you can start to build the gingerbread house.
- When the mini gingerbread houses are fully assembled, let it dry for 5 minutes before decorating it.
- To decorate, use different piping tips and sprinkles.
- Use these for mugs, as gifts, or write names on the roofs to use as place settings.
Thank you for sharing your mini gingerbread houses. Would you mind sharing what size bag you used for packaging?