Build a gingerbread house out of shortbread cookies – a classic with a twist without baking

Are you already in the baking fever and preparing delicious cookies andpretty gingerbread housesto? Maybe you would now like to prepare a treat without baking that is decorative like the gingerbread house? Then gingerbread houses made from butter cookies are exactly the right choice. They're perfect if you want to spontaneously do something Christmassy with your kids or if you don't particularly like baking but still want to build a gingerbread house. We'll show you how to make a gingerbread house from shortbread cookies and give you a few ideas for decorating it with other sweets.

In principle, there are two variants you can choose from if you want to build a gingerbread house out of shortbread cookies - one is particularly simple, while the second is more complicated constructions that are more similar to classic gingerbread houses. Furthermore, you canfor the gingerbread alternativesYou can also combine the butter cookies with other cookies and waffles. You can find some great examples below.

Simple gingerbread house made from shortbread cookies

For the first and simplest version, you only need 3 cookies, which you stick together in a triangle shape with icing. Find out how to make icingin this article. You don't have to do anything else! The houses can then be decorated with a variety of sweets.Colorful SmartiesYou can stick them on the roofs or attach gummy bears around the house. You can also apply a little icing to any area and then decorate it with sprinkles and edible beads. By the way, you can also use chocolate-covered cookies instead of plain butter cookies.

More elaborate gingerbread house with shortbread cookies

Of course you can also build the classic gingerbread house like you did withhomemade gingerbreadwould do. Don’t let the word “complicated” fool you, because this type of house is anything but difficult. It just takes more time, but it's a lot of fun! Like the gingerbread, you can cut the cookies as you like to get the necessary shapes. Just don't apply too much pressure so that the cookies don't break. If it happens to you, it's not that bad. Just try again with another cookie.

Glue four cookies together on a surface (e.g. cardboard). Then cut three triangles that you will use to build the roof. In the instructions above you can see what the roof should look like in the end. And just like that, your gingerbread house made from shortbread cookies is ready! Now all you have to do is decorate it.

You can see another variant for assembly in the instructions above. To support your glued together structure until the glue sets, you can use glasses.

Ideas for decorating the crispy houses

In this gingerbread house made from shortbread biscuits, you can use ladyfingersknow about tiramisu, as the ground on which the house stands. The walls are made of pink waffles, while the roof is made of shortbread cookies. So as you can see, you can also use various treats for the house itself to make it even more interesting and colorful.

Colorful Smarties and M&M's or chocolate beans in general are particularly popular for decorating roofs, as they are reminiscent of roof tiles. They also come in a wide variety of colors, so you can use them to create any pattern and color combination. They are simply stuck on with the icing.

Instead of normal butter cookies, you can also use chocolate ones. In principle that doesn't matter. Another great idea is the gingerbread house made from shortbread cookies at the bottom right of the picture. Two cookies were glued together for each of three sides and the roof was then covered with chocolate icing. If you then fill such a house with a delicious cream, you can make it wonderfully originalDessert for Christmasuse.

The open triangular houses are perfect to be filled with a small character. Gummy bears are perfect for this purpose. With classic houses, you can of course simply set them up in front of the house. Don’t forget a little “snow” made from powdered sugar or desiccated coconut to give the winter house the finishing touch.

Chewing gum or chewy candy in strips for the roof - would you have come up with this great idea? You can arrange them vertically next to each other or horizontally, starting from the bottom like shingles and overlapping each other. You can cover the top of the gingerbread house made of shortbread cookies, where the two sides of the roof touch, with edible beads, sprinkles, chewing gum balls and any other goodies.

In principle, you can use all types of cookies if you want to try a crispy house made from butter cookies as a gingerbread house alternative. So it's not just a gingerbread house made from butter cookies that's possible. The popular and delicious speculoos is also suitable and even dark cookies with cocoa. This means you can always try out new houses. And since they are relatively small compared to classic gingerbread houses, you could even put together a small village landscape of different houses.

It doesn't always have to be the classic house shape with a gable roof for a gingerbread house made of cookies. In the example above you can see a house with a straight roof that even smaller children can make more easily. Just experiment with the shapes!

Crispy house made of shortbread cookies in pink and pink

Idea for the roof tiles

Use butter biscuits or speculoos for the gingerbread house