Gingerbread House Mug Topper

Have you heard of gingerbread house mug toppers? If you’ve never heard of these before, they are miniature gingerbread houses that conveniently sit on a mug of your favorite beverage.

I first saw gingerbread house mug toppers a few years ago in a chain retail store. They were ridiculously expensive (and still are) so I figured that I could make them for way cheaper. Fast forward to today, I finally tried making them from scratch.

You will need:

Gingerbread cookie recipe. I love, love, love this gingerbread cookie recipe that I’ve made every year since 2017.
A cookie cutter set. I used this 3 piece Christmas house cookie cutter set.
Edible gingerbread house frosting recipe. I didn’t know that gingerbread house frosting is usually made with egg whites. I have every intention of eating my mini houses with a cup of hot chocolate so the frosting in the below recipe is egg-free and thus totally safe to eat.
Patience. Frosting takes time to set so this task is a test of your patience.

Guys, I’m horrible at frosting stuff. My gingerbread house experiences consist of graham crackers and an empty milk carton from school lunch (way back in the day). So I enlisted the assistance of my husband, who helped me frost these little guys together. I absolutely love how they turned out.

Of course you can decorate as much or as little detail on the houses as you want. Add food coloring to the frosting and go to town. If you add any edible decorations, just keep in mind that it might be better that they be small, because you don’t want a gum drop that’s almost the same size as your house (or do you? 😉 ). You get the idea.

I’m so obsessed with these cuties! They are almost too cute to eat. Almost. If you don’t want your mug holding a conveniently shaped cookie for you, then could also place them on top of a cake or cupcakes.

What do you think? Would you buy these already made or take the time to make them yourselves?

Gingerbread House Mug Topper Recipe
(Makes a bunch)

Ingredients:

my favorite gingerbread people cookie recipe (You can use another cookie recipe but don’t forget to adjust the amount of frosting you make to match how many houses you want.)
6 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Roll the gingerbread cookie dough to about 1/8 inch in thickness and cut out the the gingerbread house shapes. I used this 3 piece Christmas house cookie cutter set. Bake them according to the directions in the recipe and then let them cool completely.
In a big bowl, add the powdered sugar, shortening, light corn syrup, and milk, and beat everything together. The goal is to have a thick frosting. (Beat in additional milk if it’s too thick.)
Scoop the frosting into a piping bag. I used a zip top bag and cut a tiny bit off at one corner.
Flip over all the house pieces so the flat side is facing up.
Pipe two lines of frosting on the house shapes. They go vertically on the outer edges on either side of the “door.”
Place the sides of the houses in between the frosted pieces to make a rectangle. Be sure you use the smaller rectangles for this.
Place the house so it looks like a house with the door gaps at the bottom.
Pipe a line of frosting on the top roof angled part of both of the house shapes.
Place the roof pieces on top of the house. These are the larger rectangles and should be placed so they reach the whole way across between the angled parts you set up with frosting.
Let it dry.
(Optional) Do extra frosting stuff and stick things to the houses if you like. I added extra frosting under the eaves and along the joins in the walls to hide them, but you can do more or less as you see fit.