Modern gingerbread house: Cool ideas for creative craft enthusiasts

Some people value traditions, while others like to break them sometimes. If you belong to the second group, this article is for you. Instead of a classic crunchy house, you can bake or design a modern gingerbread house – a wonderful trend for Christmas! Basically you use the same techniques – you bake the gingerbread, cut out the necessary elements (using templates if you wish) and then assemble them using royal icing as glue. Finally decorate with candies for all the details. So far, so good… but a modern gingerbread house differs from the classic not only in the shape of the house and the roof. We will show a few ideas that you can use to recreate a modern gingerbread house.

Modern Gingerbread House – use the classic recipes

Edible Christmas decorations are not only trendy, they are a huge fun to make. If you make a crunchy house every year, you probably already have a favorite recipe, which of course you are welcome to use for a modern gingerbread house. Otherwise, you can use any other recipe you like. You will surely quickly find what you are looking for on the Internet. In other words, just because the house has a fancy shape doesn’t mean you need a more specific gingerbread house recipe. Simply cut the finished dough into the necessary elements, after which you bake them. Alternatively, you can take a ready-made gingerbread house kit and convert the existing elements.

Modern gingerbread house with large windows

An important detail that makes the whole thing really special are the large windows. Not only do they look very attractive, but they are also transparent and therefore very authentic. In addition, you can even illuminate the house by placing a string of LED lights inside. The light can then shine wonderfully through the “window panes”.

How to make window panes to decorate a gingerbread house

With candies

But how do you make such window panes? It is easier than you think. You need simple candies in the color you want, which you first chop up (for example, in a freezer bag and with the help of a rolling pin). 5 minutes before your gingerbread elements are finished baking, take them out of the oven and fill the window openings with the candy crumbs. Then bake for a further 5 minutes until the crumbs have melted and allow everything to cool and harden before removing the elements from the tray. Otherwise the “glass panes” will melt.

With caramelized sugar

Another option would be to caramelize sugar. You can do this after your gingerbread pieces are baked and cooled. Leave them on the parchment paper, melt the sugar and then quickly pour it into the openings. Then you can spread the caramel with a wooden stick. Work as quickly as possible, because melted sugar hardens very quickly. With caramel, you can also make large panes without gingerbread dough, for example if you want to build a floor to ceiling window fronts.

With gelatine

You can also try gelatine after baking the elements. Again, fill the openings with the liquefied gelatin and then let them set. It may not be easy to remove the element from the baking paper afterwards. In any case, you should proceed carefully, since gelatin tears quickly. For example, put the element upright with the baking paper and carefully peel off the paper. You can also slide a knife between the paper and jelly to separate them.

To save time, you can also simply leave the windows open. Even then, of course, the light from the fairy lights shines out perfectly. Likewise, you can draw the windows only with icing, as is often the case with the classic gingerbread house.

Build and decorate a midcentury houses

The models in the American Midcentury style are particularly popular for gingerbread houses with a difference. You can, of course, choose another modern style. How about a minimalist house, for example? There are no limits to your imagination.

Finally, all that remains is the decoration. Minimalist houses do not require any special decoration, as the name suggests. Midcentury homes, on the other hand, usually have elements with stone, for example. Check out our ideas to get an idea of the many possibilities and get inspired by them.

Cool inspirations

Fruit gums, waffles and jelly candies to decorate

Illuminate gingerbread houses with fairy lights

Midcentury style is very popular for a modern gingerbread house

Simple and plain idea for beginners

Decorate the facade with sugar and edible pearls

Imitate a stone facade with cereals

Cool idea with a pool for a holiday feeling at Christmas

Cream puffs as the basis for the modern gingerbread house

Make a car out of fondant as a decoration

Cool hotel with lots of windows

Minimalist house with a snowflake façade