Shame on me, somehow I never manage to take care of a proper Advent wreath on time. When I finally decide to buy one, they are always sold out or only very sad ones are left. I am talking about the traditional ones with candles and fir branches. But not this time. This time we will have an advent wreath made from gingerbread. I love making things from gingerbread. Years ago, when I was a poor university student, I started this tradition of making everything from gingerbread as I didn’t have money to buy any expensive Christmad decoration. I decorated the Christmas tree with gingerbread, the nativity was made from it, I even hung some igingerbread n the windows. It is definitely something I hold dear. So this year I decided to make the advent wreath from gingerbread as well.
I found this idea at Living at Home, I used their template but decided to use my beloved gingerbread dough. However, I printed the four houses on paper and cut out the dough the same way. In this Instagram video you can see how I first decorate them before I glue them together. Yeah, makking this advent wreath from gingerbread takes its time, I am sure I went at it for at least four hours total. However, what I love about gingerbread is the fact that you can stop in between. You first want to make the dought, but are too lazy to bake right away? No problem, you can chill this dough for up to a week as it does not contain any egg. You have baked your gingerbread but don’t feel like making royal icing? As long as you keep it in an airtight container, gingerbread will keep for a long time. You can even stop while decorating as long as you make sure that your icing does not dry. You may even keep these houses for the following year. Your apartment may not smell as nice, but you can keep them if you are too lazy. I will for sure try that.
But now let’s get down to business. I do hope that your first try is as successful as mine. I am always interested to learn how your try went!
This advent wreath made from gingerbread houses containing a hole in the roof for the candle. For the gingerbread dough, bring molasses, water and sugar to a boil, add butter and take off heat, stir and let cool. Add all other ingredients and mix well until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour in the fridge or overnight. The dough will keep in the fridge for about a week. You will notice that the chilled dough will have a darker color, that's normal. Roll out dough on a generously floured surface about half a centimeter thick, place your cut out "cookie cutters" on it and cut out six pieces per house, in total you should have 24 pieces. I also recommend baking by house and keeping things organized. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the house pices on it. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until brown. I recommend baking about one minute longer than normal as you want the houses to be sturdy. Let cool. Tip: check at this point if your candles fit into the holes. If not, carve out a bit so that your candles will hold properly. For the royal icing mix the egg whites with about 450 grams of icing sugar with a mixer for about 5 minutes. The consistency should be of a toothpaste. If it is too thick, add a little bit of water, if it is too runny, add a bit icing sugar. Transfer to a piping bag and first decorate all houses from the outside, then glue together the pieces. You can see in in this video how I do it. I recommend first putting the sides of the house to the front and back, once your four pieces have dried up (wait at least ten minutes), add the roof. I had to cut the roof on all four houses, the pieces were simply too big, use a serrated knife when you cut off parts. Cover any inconsistencies with royal icing, imitating snow. Once your houses have dried for a few hours and you are happy, place all four houses together and add the candles. As with any candle, be careful and never leave unattened once lit.Advent Wreath made from Gingerbread
Ingredients
Instructions
P.S.: If you are interested in tiny gingerbread houses you can place on your mug, check this recipe.
4 Comments
Hani
Thursday October 12th, 2023 at 10:28 AMHello Jenny!
I love these mini house, they are so dainty and perfect for upcoming season.
Jenny
Thursday October 12th, 2023 at 02:48 PMI agree. I will make your birdhouse and will let you know.
Tim
Friday November 24th, 2023 at 04:01 PMIch glaube, das könnte ich auch hinkriegen 🙂 Nehme ich mit, vielen Dank!
Jenny
Friday November 24th, 2023 at 04:15 PMAlso, wenn es Fragen oder Probleme gibt, gerne melden!