Sunday Sweets: Gingerbread Goodies!
December 11, 2011 If ever a baked good was meant to be played with, it has to be gingerbread.
So, since it's that time of year again, let's take a look at some gorgeous gingerbread creations to get us all inspired and googly-eyed and stuff.
Of course, we HAVE to start with traditional gingerbread men, right?
Er, wrong.
;)
Hee! Love it.
Ok, we WILL start with a traditional gingerbread house, though:
;)
By Sweetopia
Is that porch light a jelly bean? GENIUS.
Hey, ever see a birthday gingerbread house?
;)
By Graella
You have now! (And now I want one. So. Cute.)
We just saw some of Nevie Pie's fabulous painted cakes last week, but she also does fanTAStic painted gingerbread houses:
;)
Do you see the tiny little mushrooms on the center roof? Do you?
And did you squeal like a little girl over those teensy painted blue flowers? Did you?
Ok, good. Just checking.
I'm pretty sure this is my all-time favorite traditional gingerbread house:
;)
Check out the oh-so-intricate piping under the windows! And the cookie assortment on the roof! (I want to grab off the mini chocolate bundt cake. Mmm.) Oooh, and the ice cream cone fence! It's just all so, so good.
Less traditional, but how can you not love all these pretty swirls?
;)
Baker unknown.
Yay, whimsy! And the snow drift by the door is so clever.
Ah, but perhaps you're like me, and not really wild for the taste of gingerbread. (Just me?) In that case, how about this so-cute-you-will-melt-into-a-small-puddle sugar cookie house:
;)
Also by sassybeautimus
Between the pastel rainbow roof trim, the pink woodgrain door, and that sparkly sugar roof I am now a limbless heap of cooing girliness. DO WANT MUCHLY.
Seriously, I'm not sure I could possibly be more excited about anything in today's....hang on.
What's this?
;)
Submitted by Margaret B.; made by Ann Zeleny
[gasp]
It's a companion cube made of gingerbread! AAIEEE!!
Ahem.
Sorry - I promise that won't happen again.
Well, unless someone made something like the Burrow from Harry Potter out of gingerbread - but really, what are the odds of THAT ever...hang on.
;)
By mezcraft; found via craftster.
Oh. My. Potter.
How is that thing even standing? What architectural genius is this?
Hit the links above for more detail shots; Michelle even made Molly Weasley's famous homemade sweaters to hang on a clothes line!
And now, more cute:
;)
As a button, you might say.
I have no idea how, but this next one even lights up:
;)
I want to ask where the wires are, but I feel like it might spoil the magic if I knew.
If there are little gingerbread houses in heaven, then I'm pretty sure they look like this:
;)
Am I right? It's just...heavenly.
Ooh, and here's the cherry on top:
;)
Also by De Koekenbakkers
Literally!
Btw, I never knew how much I wanted a lollipop tree until just now.
Ah, and speaking of trees...
;)
By Gigi M.
Gives a whole new twist to "peppermint bark," doesn't it? :D
Now, I *think* these trees are made from stacked cookies, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Gigi.
And finally, let's go out with a jaw-dropping gingerbread house bang:
;)
Submitted by Lisa M. Spotted at Circlefest at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens; baker unknown.
BANG.
Hope you enjoyed today's Sweets, guys! And remember, if you have a Sweet to nominate, just send it to Sunday Sweets [at] Cake Wrecks [dot] com.
P.S. Have you checked out my new book Wreck the Halls yet? It's less than $10 over on Amazon, and makes a perfect stocking stuffer/hostess gift/generic present for that person you have to buy for but don't really know all that well or don't want to spend much money on.
Wait. I mean for that person you love dearly and would spare no expense on. Uh, yeah. [winkwinksecretfistbump]
Reader Comments (66)
First comment!!!
Have you seen the gingerbread Falling Water house by Frank Lloyd Wright? It was made last November so it may be old news by now.
Who lives in gingerbread houses must not chow ones.
LOVE the two by De Koekenbakkers! The first one makes me think that if you really went over the river and through the woods, you would end up at this Grandma's house. The second makes my husband and I think of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"!
We spent Thanksgiving weekend in New Hope, PA, and one of the things we always do when we're there at that time of year is check out the entries in the annual gingerbread house contest at Peddler's Village in Lahaska. My very favorite one this year was this re-creation of Christmas morning in "A Christmas Story". It won first place in its division, and deservedly so -- it has everything from the leg lamp (and the box it came in) to Ralphie in his bunny suit to the Red Ryder BB gun under the tree...even the garland on the stair railing and the picture on the wall. I nearly squee'd out loud when I saw it.
Those gingerbread houses? Sexy. The end. Now can I have that Weasley House to go? Please and thanks.
That last one? It's a copy of this: http://goeurope.about.com/od/strasbourgfrance/ig/strasbourg-pictures/strasbourg-24.htm
Strasbourg is a gorgeous city on its, own, but during the Christmas markets, it's like being transported inside a fairytale snowglobe.
*dreamy sigh*
I HAVE JUST MELTED IN A PUDDLE OF CHRISTMAS GOODIES (why am I using that word!!!!?!?!?) SAVE ME¡!¡¡¡¿¡¡?!!!?!¡¡¿!!¿ lols I AM KRAZY!!!! And so R u! *super randon BTW* lols
I never knew how much I wanted a gingerbread Burrow until now...
I just flailed and squeed and basically made a fool of myself over the Burrow. (Good thing no one is home!) I CAN HAS BURROW?????
They are all amazing, but the bitten ones made me LOLOL
So awesome! The Burrow? BLEW. MY. MIND!!
A few years ago they were having gingerbread decorating contest at our church. I was a gingerbread novice so I found a pattern online. Made the gingerbread, got it all cut out and put together and realized that it was going to be huge! As in, "this almost doesn't fit on the back of my jelly-roll pan" huge. I have a few pictures on my blog. It was a lot of fun... I didn't get to do as much detail as I wanted though. Maybe we'll have to do another one! :)
The last time I saw the weighted companion cube it was dirty and covered with burn marks, so this is an improvement.
Oh My.
:D
Thank you so much for including my gingerbread houses!!
I am so honoured my pictures are between those other gorgeous houses.
I am a big fan of Cakewrecks.com and LOVE the Sunday Sweets!
Thank you again!
Wow! To be on your Sunday Sweets two weeks in a row is such a massive honour! And in such fabulous company too...long live the gingerbread house! xx
Wow! The Burrow was fantastic, but it was the half-timbered house that knocked my socks off! I hope the Sunday Sweets notoriety flushes out the baker, s/he deserves ample credit!
Have. You. Not. Seen. THIS?!
http://scifi.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/12/02/sci-fi-fantasy-star-wars-gingerbread-at-at/
GINGERBREAD AT-AT. :D
OMG. Portal GingerBread! Must. Show. Joseph! (my 8 year old Brother, who is in LOVE with portal).
And, Oh my gosh, THE BURROW!!!!! My Mom and I LOVED it! We were SHOUTING by the time we
saw the sweaters. LOL! Miss Jen, Thank you for creating this Blog. My Mom and I really bond when we see these posts!
P.S. My Mom won't let me see "Bad Vibe" until i'm 20. So annoying! But the Radioactive Tampons post really cracked me up!
P.P.S. When I saw the 12th Picture in this post (the lighted gingerbread house), I was like: "Radioactive Gumdrops!" Did anyone else think that, or am I just weird?
Saw the trees back in the late 80's at an ICES convention. They are made from upside down waffle cones :)
In the first picture, the gingerbread girl (I'm going with "girl") on the bottom left reminds of this poem my mom always used to recite to me:
"There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was bad, she was very bad
But when she was good, she was HORRID."
Draw your own conclusions.
Swooning. The Burrow? Gorgeous. Bitten cookies? Adorable. Sugar cookie house? Dream come true.
This is, officially, my favorite Sunday Sweets post.
OMG - first - Potter love
Second - I hate gingerbread, it tastes awful, sugar cookie...now that I can get down with.
Awesome! Thanks for doing a gingerbread post. You should make it an annual thing.
I love you and your blog :) I just bought both your books off amazon! I'm so excited to read them keep up the great work!!
Gingerbread houses always look so nice that I wouldn't be able to eat them.
You don't have to use waffle cones to make the trees. I make them with Royal Icing and a leaf tip on waxed paper cones. When the icing dries, you just peel out the wax paper....and there is your tree!
My post this week also features gingerbread. Great minds think alike ;-)
Speaking of gingerbread houses.... do you read the comic FoxTrot? did you see today's? lol
http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2011/12/11
Aw, thanks for sharing my gingerbread house here!! I've been a fan of your site for ages and am thrilled! xo
I only have one word to say, WOW!!! I am still picking my jaw up off the floor and wiping the drool from my keyboard!
I don't think that is a mini chocolate bundt cake. I think it is a pinwheel cookie.
Why not post pics of the gingerbread houses at the swanky hotels of Walt Disney World (such as the one at Grand Floridian, in America at EPCOT, etc)? Or the chocolate carousel at one of them? I have pics of them from last year when I went. Those were amazing!!!
Well DUH, the Burrow is held up by MAGIC! *shaking head* Haha, thanks for all the lol's!! Cakewrecks was my first blog I ever read, and still my fave!
They are amazing.... I wish i could do that...
Totally aside from the fantastic gingerbread creations - totally amused by the gingerbread people at the beginning and in awe of the other constructions.
Bought the latest book for myself and both books as Xmas gifts to a friend that lives in Orlando. She, of course, opened them early and shared with her co-workers. Much giggling and laughing. She said the pastry chefs at the hotel she works at kept saying they had to get copies of their own.
The burrows was in a gingerbread making contest on Craftster last year. I came in 3rd place with my Queen Anne style gingerbread house. But there were a LOT of other beautifully done houses in that competition!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=368821.0
Lighted houses are easy to do. I usually put lights in mine.
The fantastic details and construction? Definitely not easy! Mine look a little sad by comparison. I need to up my game!
Wow these are some awsome houses!!!! let me tell you a great true story!! After making gingerbread houses and people for many years, my family settled in NY.I fell asleep on the couch and was awoken by a sound, I woke up starttled, only to look and see that there were mice in my tree eating my gingerbread family and a mouse in my gingerbread house!!! Needless to say I never left them out again. True story!!!
I am so torn between LOVING to look and them and WANTING to dive in and eat them! I so enjoy seeing all the fabulous cakes and goodies on this site! Thank you so much. I have no talent but greatly appreciate everyone else's.
I actually have cookie cutters that make ginger bread men similar to the ones in the first post, though they never come out looking as nice.
Have you ever seen the gingerbread houses they do at Disney World each year? Here's a link to some pictures. http://www.google.com/search?q=disney+world+gingerbread+houses&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4lTlTrKBCon_ggeSx42UBg&ved=0CFAQsAQ&biw=1025&bih=623
I. FREAKING. LOVE. YOU. GUYS!!!!!!
You included a burrow house and that made me squeal with delight! (Well, on the inside... If I did squeal I'd wake up my sister...)
The little sweaters are soooooo adorable and I. WANT. TO. MAKE. ONE. NEXT. WEEK!
Yes. I'm making gingerbread houses next week. I'm so lucky :) MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Ahem.
I love you guys :)
Those are fantastic. How do they get the snow looking so soft?
Our wedding cake lit up. It had a flower paste castle on the top tier with cut out windows we had a battery operated (flickering) LED candle which shone through. I put more effort into that cake then the rest of the wedding combined :)
Really? Am I the only one who sees more than candycanes with gumdrops stuck on the ends?
I love you even more for using the word "muchly"!
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
So, I was excited by the sugar cookie house because I LOVE sugar cookies, and they are so much better than gingerbread
AND THEN there was the COMPANION CUBE made out of gingerbread and that was awesome
AND THEN THE GINGERBREAD BURROW and I just started fangirl squealing and please forgive the bad punctuation and stuff, but It's the only way to properly convey my excitement, by typing exactly the same way I'm thinking, and seriously, you're lucky my head is clear enough for me to be correcting my typos!
!!!!!!!!
Sorry, just....SQUEEEEEE!!!
When I saw the Portal Companion Cube I remembered I saw this a day or so ago :)
https://pay.reddit.com/r/geek/comments/n7ihf/this_was_a_triumph/
"You ate your faithful companion cube more quickly than any test subject
on record. Congratulations."