Gingerbread haunted house

A spooky and stunning addition to your Halloween decorations. A labour of love that's worth the effort if making with friends or family!

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery TeamUpdated: 30 October 2023

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Halloween is just around the corner so we've created this impressively spooky (and delicious) gingerbread-flavoured Halloween haunted house!

This recipe is a labour of love, but makes a great weekend baking project with friends and family.

For an even simpler gingerbread biscuit recipe this simple recipe is fail-safe when its nearer Christmas time.

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Yields:

Prep Time:

2 hrs

Cook Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

For the gingerbread

525 g
plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust
1 1/2 tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
3 Tbsp.
ground ginger
225 g
unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, plus extra to grease
250 g
light muscovado sugar
3 Tbsp.
golden syrup
1
large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2
purple boiled sweets, crushed
2
green boiled sweets, crushed

To decorate

450 g
grey sugarpaste/fondant icing
edible glue
250 g
purple sugarpaste/fondant icing
25 g
white sugarpaste/fondant icing
black icing pen
2
medium egg whites
500 g
icing sugar, plus extra to dust
lime green food colouring paste, we used Sugarflair

You will also need

A ghost cookie cutter

Directions

1. Step 1For the gingerbread, put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse until combined. Tip into a large bowl.
2. Step 2In a small pan over medium heat, heat the syrup to loosen. In a small bowl, mix the egg and the syrup until combined. Add hot syrup mixture to the flour bowl and stir to combine. Tip on to a work surface and knead briefly until smooth.
3. Step 3Grease 3 large baking. Divide dough into quarters, then roll out the portions on sheets of baking parchment to 3mm thick. Using the templates as a guide, cut out the correct number of wall, roof and chimney panels.
4. Step 4Cut a 6cm high curved door out of one of the front/back panels and place alongside the panel on the parchment (spacing apart). On the same panel, below the central top turret, cut out a 3cm circle. Finally cut out 3 windows, each roughly 6cm tall and 4cm wide. Slice the removed window pieces in 1/2 lengthways and place alongside the panel on the parchment, spacing apart, (these will become the window shutters).
5. Step 5Re-rolling trimmings as needed and stamp out 1 ghost using the cookie cutter.
6. Step 6Transfer all the pieces, still on their baking parchment (trim around them with scissors, if needed), to the greased baking sheets. Make sure each piece is separated, to allow for slight spreading during baking. Chill for 15min. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5.
7. Step 7Sprinkle the crushed boiled sweets into the window holes. Bake all the gingerbread for 12min, until dark brown. Leave to cool for 2min, then neaten the edges where needed with a sharp knife, using the templates and cookie cutter as a guide. Leave for 10min to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Step 8Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the grey icing until 2mm thick. Using the templates, and re-rolling trimmings as needed, cut out matching shapes for all 4 walls. Slice out a matching door and windows on one of the front/back fondant panels (according to your removed sections on the baked gingerbread). Using edible glue, stick the cut-out grey icing on to the corresponding cooled gingerbread panels. Leave to set.
9. Step 9Roll out the purple icing as before and cut out shapes to fit the roof and chimney pieces using the templates. Stick to the corresponding gingerbread panels as before and leave to set.
10. Step 10Roll out the white icing as before and stamp out 1 ghost shape using the cutter. Stick to the ghost biscuit as before. Using a black icing pen, draw a face on the ghost, and a spider’s web on the top of the front door.
11. Step 11Next make the icing (which will be the house cement). In a large bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the icing sugar in 3 additions, whisking well after each, to make a thick, pipeable icing (beat in 2tsp water if too thick to pipe). Beat in enough lime green food colouring paste to get your desired shade. Scrape into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle.
12. Step 12Pipe a line of icing along the base of a side wall and stick to a cake board. Next pipe along the base and side of the front and back panels, and other side panel to create a box. Hold for a few min to set. Pipe icing along top edges of the house and gently press roof panels into position. Pipe icing along joins to reinforce, if needed. 13 Stick the door, window shutters and ghost on the house with icing. Allow to set. Serve with a spooky soundtrack!