Thought you had to stick to sweets when you decorate your gingerbread? Think again.
These gingerbread decorating ideas will open up a whole new world of creativity for you:
Breakfast cereals
Brightly coloured, shaped, saccharine – breakfast cereals are a perfect choice for gingerbread house decorating. Mini Shreddies make great roof panels while Fruit Loops are fabulous for gables and roof joins.
Biscuits
Biscuits come in all shapes and sizes but can be broken up chopped up and shaped into loads of new ideas. Chocolate fingers are awesome for window sills, mini Oreos work well just about anywhere – front doors, roof panels, random – and Chocolate Digestives chopped in half and stood upright around a house make wonderful fence pieces.
Pretzels
I think pretzels are worth a mention all on their own because they’re so pretty and come in a variety of shapes, flavours and sizes. I love using them as fences around a house but equally they look great on the top of a roof. My favourites are the Flipz ones which I end up eating just as many as I use. They also take colour really well and can be successfully sprayed with edible gold or silver to give them some real pizzazz.
Nuts
If you prefer a slightly less sugary house and would rather use natural products, then nuts are a great alternative to Smarties and Jelly Tots. Less of a sugar rush too for excitable children! Sliced almonds make great roof panels and crushed nuts look pretty spread around the base. You can also jazz them up with edible spray colours too.
Matchmakers
I loooooove Matchmakers, as much to eat them as I do to use them on gingerbread. But if you’re going for a log cabin effect they make great door panels, roof panels and wall panels. If you’re clever about it you can also stack them to create little cute fences.
Rice Krispie Treats
I’ve used these in the past for modelling in cakes (check out the gruesome head on this zombie we made a couple of years back, just had to get her in there!) but they actually make great hay bales if you fancy a gingerbread barn. You can also use them to create a hilly effect on the board, then cover with royal icing or fondant.
Dried Fruits
Just as dried nuts create a less sugar-fuelled house, dried fruits can be used for a more natural option. There are a myriad of colourful dried fruits available – pineapple wheels are super pretty as are dried orange slices. Use smaller fruits like raisins or cranberries dotted around on the roof or in clusters on the ground like little bushes.
Fondant icing
Fondant is more generally used for cakes but it can equally serve a purpose when it comes to decorating gingerbread. It’s sweet, pliable and extremely versatile. I have used it for years on cakes but it also looks fabulous on a gingerbread house and you can use it just about anywhere. Red and white twisted together will make a great striped candy cane effect, marbled black and grey will produce lovely pebbles you can use on the ground or around the door and colourful squares make great roof tiles.
Eight unusual gingerbread decorating ideas
Thought you had to stick to sweets when you decorate your gingerbread? Think again.
These gingerbread decorating ideas will open up a whole new world of creativity for you:
Brightly coloured, shaped, saccharine – breakfast cereals are a perfect choice for gingerbread house decorating. Mini Shreddies make great roof panels while Fruit Loops are fabulous for gables and roof joins.
Biscuits come in all shapes and sizes but can be broken up chopped up and shaped into loads of new ideas. Chocolate fingers are awesome for window sills, mini Oreos work well just about anywhere – front doors, roof panels, random – and Chocolate Digestives chopped in half and stood upright around a house make wonderful fence pieces.
I think pretzels are worth a mention all on their own because they’re so pretty and come in a variety of shapes, flavours and sizes. I love using them as fences around a house but equally they look great on the top of a roof. My favourites are the Flipz ones which I end up eating just as many as I use. They also take colour really well and can be successfully sprayed with edible gold or silver to give them some real pizzazz.
If you prefer a slightly less sugary house and would rather use natural products, then nuts are a great alternative to Smarties and Jelly Tots. Less of a sugar rush too for excitable children! Sliced almonds make great roof panels and crushed nuts look pretty spread around the base. You can also jazz them up with edible spray colours too.
I loooooove Matchmakers, as much to eat them as I do to use them on gingerbread. But if you’re going for a log cabin effect they make great door panels, roof panels and wall panels. If you’re clever about it you can also stack them to create little cute fences.
I’ve used these in the past for modelling in cakes (check out the gruesome head on this zombie we made a couple of years back, just had to get her in there!) but they actually make great hay bales if you fancy a gingerbread barn. You can also use them to create a hilly effect on the board, then cover with royal icing or fondant.
Just as dried nuts create a less sugar-fuelled house, dried fruits can be used for a more natural option. There are a myriad of colourful dried fruits available – pineapple wheels are super pretty as are dried orange slices. Use smaller fruits like raisins or cranberries dotted around on the roof or in clusters on the ground like little bushes.
Fondant is more generally used for cakes but it can equally serve a purpose when it comes to decorating gingerbread. It’s sweet, pliable and extremely versatile. I have used it for years on cakes but it also looks fabulous on a gingerbread house and you can use it just about anywhere. Red and white twisted together will make a great striped candy cane effect, marbled black and grey will produce lovely pebbles you can use on the ground or around the door and colourful squares make great roof tiles.