Here is a photo gallery of awe-inspiring and award-winning gingerbread houses. Some were designed by readers of the book, Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions. Others were constructed by fellow bakers who I met at the Boston and San Diego competitions. A few were crafted by winners of the National Gingerbread House Competition.

Gingerbread Bed & Breakfast
with Illuminated Candy Windows

MADE BY KELLIE MURRAY
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
See more here: Lit Gingerbread House

This luminous gingerbread B&B house with candy windows and candy cane columns was made with care and precision. Check out the full feature (link above) to see step-by-step photos of the entire process.

Gingerbread Candy Factory

MADE BY LYNNE SCHUYLER
Inspired by this Cookie Tunnels Tutorial
See more here: Gingerbread Candy Factory

This bright and fun gingerbread candy factory with cookie chutes, tunnels, barrels and conveyor belts is a sight to behold. Check out the full feature (link above) to see closeups of the edible machinery.

Woodland Winter Gingerbread House 

MADE BY PAT ASHLEY HOWARD
See more here: Woodland Winter Gingerbread House

This iconic, grand prize-winning gingerbread house was hand-crafted by champion cookie architect, Pat Ashley Howard.

Hansel & Gretel Gingerbread House

MADE BY DEBRA RODGER AND CARLA DOBRO
See more here: Hansel & Gretel Gingerbread House

This gingerbread house with cookie trees was my favorite competition entry at the 2012 Boston Christmas Festival. It includes edible trees, flowers, lollipops, the witch and Hansel & Gretel figurines.

Mouse Gingerbread House

MADE BY MELODY MORSE
See more here: Mouse Gingerbread House

This mouse gingerbread house, entitled “The Tale of Despereaux Mouse World,” won first place in the grand category of the 2010 Gingerbread City Competition in Del Mar, California. It is full of detail including cookie drawers, pretzel ladders, fondant books, spools of thread, and mouse figurines. Melody is a champion gingerbread house competition artist.

Award-Winning Night Before Christmas Gingerbread House

MADE BY LINDA CARNEY
See more here:  Night Before Xmas Gingerbread House

This award-winning gingerbread house, entitled, “The Children Were Nestled All Snug In Their Beds,” placed 5th overall in the Omni Grove Park Inn’s 2013 Gingerbread House Competition, which takes place annually in Asheville, North Carolina. As a leader in the field of cookie construction, Linda is brimming with knowledge. Read more about how she made the quilt and decorations for this house in her feature (link above).

Gingerbread Ornaments

MADE BY HEATHER PLAWSKI LEWIS
See more here: Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments

This edible display of ornaments and baubles won 2nd place in the 2011 Grove Park Inn Gingerbread House Competition, the most prestigious gingerbread house competition in the U.S. Heather is a master and innovator of cookie craft. How she accomplished the baking and decorating of sphere shapes is explained in the full feature (link above).

Snowy Gingerbread Castle

MADE BY DR. NICOLA SCHMITZ & STAFF AT BAVARIA-CRYSTAL, GERMANY
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
And the icing recipes from Gingerbread House Decoration and Construction

This delightful gingerbread house cookie castle was designed, assembled and decorated by the incredible group of coworkers at Dr. Nicola Schmitz’s orthodontist practice in Germany. Imagine the teamwork that went into this! Imagine all the smiling patients in the waiting room.

Gingerbread Ice House

MADE BY ANNIE VILLENEAUVE
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
And the icing recipes from Gingerbread House Decoration and Construction
See more here: Gingerbread Ice House

This warm and inviting winter ice house with snowman figurine fishing for gummy candies makes you want to cozy up inside. Check out the full feature (link above) to see closeup photos.

Award-Winning Gingerbread Barn

MADE BY KELLIE MURRAY

This gingerbread barn, winner of the 2018 Spirit of Christmas Competition, is a replica of Farmwoman’s Nursery in Vernonia, Oregon, USA. The cookie walls got their red color from the raw dough, to which red food coloring was added. Kellie Murray is the same fine artist who created this Lit Gingerbread House.

Award-Winning Gingerbread Mouse Castle

MADE BY DEBRA WOLFORD
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
See more here: Gingerbread Mouse Castle

This towering feat of cookie architecture with scenes in every room includes phenomenal examples of the overlay effect. Check out the full feature (link above) to see closeup photos of Debra’s castle-in-the-making.

 

Award-Winning Gingerbread House Museum Replica

MADE BY ANGELA WARD of KAKIN MY WAY
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions

This replica of the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History won third place in the People’s Choice category at the Augusta, Georgia Museum of History Gingerbread House Competition in 2015.

 

Award-Winning Gingerbread Birdhouse

MADE BY JAMIE MOON
at LOVE BLOSSOMS CAKERY
Using the recipe from by Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
See more here Gingerbread Birdhouse

This wintry gingerbread birdhouse with cookie pine cone was awarded runner up in Cake Central’s Gingerbread Birdhouse Inspiration Challenge. Check out the full feature (link above) to see closeup photos and learn how it was done.

 

Pair of Gingerbread Birdhouses

MADE BY NOREEN ABEL

This lovely pair of elevated cookie birdhouses represent the magic of our seasons. The house on the left with snowman figurine and piped icicles celebrates winter while the house on the left with gnome, mushroom, flowers and vines celebrates the summer.

Draco Dragon Gingerbread Cookie Creature

MADE BY TIFFANY MORSE
See more here: Draco Dragon Gingerbread Creature Feature

This unusual gingerbread cookie replica of Draco from Dragonheart was painstakingly crafted over a period of time. Read how she did it in the full article (link above).

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Gingerbread House

MADE BY CAKES FOR OCCASIONS
See more here: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Gingerbread House

This colorful, whimsical creation won the Kid’s Choice Award at the 2013 Boston Christmas Festival’s Gingerbread House Competition. Check out the full feature (link above) to see closeups of the fondant figurines including Cheesespider, Tacodile Supreme, Hippotatomus, Wildabeet, Shuseep, Shrimpanzee, Pickles, Strawberry (e.g. “Barries”), and Steve the pet monkey.

 

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

MADE BY LEIGH LIMPIC & FRIENDS
Using the dough recipe from Gingerbread House Dough Recipe & Baking Instructions
See more here: Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Leigh Limpic, who had never made a gingerbread house before, threw a novice decorating party for 12 of her friends, none of whom ever made gingerbread houses before either. Read the full feature (link above) to view the results.

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