Mini Gingerbread Houses (from ONE cookie cutter!)

Here's another one of those cutters that I've held on to for a couple of years before using.  I found it in my grocery store...gotta love HEB...but I saw some LAST WEEK in Target!
(You can thank me later for giving you another excuse for a Target run.)

*update: there is one at Fancy Flours, too!*


This cookie cutter is pretty nifty.  With one cut, you get all of the pieces to assemble a mini gingerbread house: front and back, 2 walls, and 2 roof pieces.

I was not entirely sure that this would work.  So, I'll let you in on a little secret.  I didn't not use my most favorite gingerbread dough in the world.  I tested it out with pre-rolled, refrigerated Nestle gingerbread cookie dough.  Yep, I did.  Guess what?  It worked AND it was tasty!

OK...first, you'll bake the cookies.  I froze the shapes for 5-10 minutes before baking like I normally do.

Once they cool, you're ready to assemble and decorate.

I used my regular royal icing recipe.  (I quartered that recipe.) To assemble the pieces, I used a #3 tip.

(It occurred to me after putting them together that maybe I should have decorated the cookies FIRST, then assembled.  Oh well.  Next time.)

Once the royal icing set (I gave it about an hour or more), it was time to decorate!

Once again, I used royal icing and lots and lots of sprinkles.


Loving this Gingerbread Boy sprinkle mix...


This one is a snowy little cottage.  I used Bakerella's mini marshmallows for the roof.  The way I did it kind of makes the roof look like it has a mohawk.  It's a punk snow cottage.


Oh, and this one looks like it may collapse under the weight of the sprinkles on the roof.


This little guy is pretty traditional.

Making these really got me in the mood to make a gingerbread house...or lots of them.  These minis are nice because they're not so intimidating. Which begs the question...why am I intimidated by houses made of gingerbread???

The other really cool thing about these minis is that we actually ATE them! ;)  I've been sending them to school in kiddo's lunchbox.
(Because every 15-year-old boy wants a mini gingerbread house in his lunchbox.  Am I right?)

---