This festive Waffle Gingerbread House features gingerbread-flavored waffles and a delicious whipped cream topping. It’s so easy to put together and perfect for Christmas morning!
Waffles are one of my favorite breakfast foods and when I saw a waffle gingerbread house at an event that I went to recently, I knew I had to make my own version!
It’s the perfect way to enjoy Christmas morning with your kids.
And it tastes just as good as it looks!
This recipe works because it’s:
- Bursting with delicious, seasonal flavors. Lots of ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar will have you tasting gingerbread in every bite.
- Easy to put together. Most gingerbread houses are a bit complicated to build, but I’ve got one simple trick that will make this the easiest house ever.
- A fun activity for Christmas morning! This is the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning because even kids can help with it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of pancake mix, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves with a whisk.
Then, combine 2¼ cups of milk, 3 Tablespoons of oil, 1/2 cup molasses, and 3 eggs in a separate bowl and mix well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until there are no streaks of flour. It’s OK to still see small lumps.
Let the batter rest while you heat your waffle maker.
Pour the batter into a square waffle maker. Cook, and then let the waffles cool in a single layer on a cookie sheet. If the waffles aren’t crispy after they’ve cooled, bake them in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5-10 minutes.
To make the whipped cream, beat 4 ounces of cold cream cheese for 2-3 minutes in a chilled medium mixing bowl until smooth.
Slowly add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until it’s all combined with the cream cheese.
Continue beating at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the whipped cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (about 5-10 minutes). Refrigerate until the gingerbread house is done.
To assemble the gingerbread house, place a glass or small rectangle object in the center of your board. Place four waffles on their side to make the walls. Secure them with toothpicks in the top, middle, and bottom.
Slice one waffle in half to create 2 triangles and place on the two ends of the house with three toothpicks. Create the rest of the roof by leaning two waffles together from either side of the base to create a triangle peak. Secure with toothpicks.
Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and use it to decorate and detail your gingerbread house. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon or powdered sugar, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Be sure to spread the batter all the way to the edges of the waffle iron to get perfect squares every time. Otherwise, you won’t have enough straight edges to build your gingerbread house.
You’ll want to use something to stand in the middle of your house. We used a large spice bottle! The waffles are pretty sturdy, but not quite as sturdy as a cookie.
When I made this recipe originally, I didn’t mix the wet ingredients first before adding them to the dry. If you take this extra step, your waffles will be fluffy and the dry ingredients will be better distributed.
If you don’t have professional piping bags, don’t worry! You can use regular plastic sandwich bags.
To eat this gingerbread house, you can let your guests pull waffles off, starting with the roof. Serve with syrup and the remaining whipped cream.
This recipe will make at least 12 square waffles. You’ll need 7 to make the house so you can serve the rest, or freeze them for another day.
To make the marshmallow snowman, frost 2 jumbo marshmallows with frosting (or the whipped cream) and stick them together. Then add a regular marshmallow on top for the head and a Hershey Kiss for the hat.
Serve the house and snowman with hot chocolate and you have the perfect holiday breakfast!
More Like This
Looking for more easy Christmas breakfast ideas? You’ll love these:
- Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
- Christmas Donut Hole Tree
- German Pancakes
- Butterscotch Sticky Buns
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Braided Raspberry Pastry
FAQs
Soft peaks mean that the whipped cream barely holds its shape. The peaks flop over immediately when the beaters are lifted. Once the whipped cream is at this stage, you should add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Stiff or firm peaks stand straight up when the beaters are lifted. There’s no curling on the peaks.
Unfortunately, you’ll need a square waffle maker for this recipe. You won’t be able to create the sides of the house without square waffles.
I hope your family loves this waffle gingerbread house! If you make it, take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!
Waffle Gingerbread House
Ingredients
Gingerbread Waffles
- 3 cups pancake mix
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 ¼ cups milk
- 3 Tablespoons oil, vegetable or canola
- ½ cup molasses
- 3 eggs
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cold
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make Waffle Batter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pancake mix, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves, and with a whisk.
- Then, combine milk, oil, molasses, and eggs in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until there are no streaks of flour. It's OK to still see small lumps.
- Let the batter rest while you heat your waffle maker.
- Pour the batter into a square waffle maker. Cook, and then let the waffles cool in a single layer on a cookie sheet. If the waffles aren't crispy after they've cooled, bake them in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5-10 minutes.
To Make Whipped Cream
- Chill a medium mixing bowl for 5-10 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese for 2-3 minutes in the chilled medium mixing bowl until smooth.
- Slowly add heavy whipping cream until it's all combined with the cream cheese.
- Continue beating at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the whipped cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (about 5-10 minutes). Refrigerate until the gingerbread house is done.
To Assemble Gingerbread House
- Place a glass or small rectangle object in the center of your board. Place four waffles on their side to make the walls. Secure them with toothpicks in the top, middle, and bottom.
- Slice one waffle in half to create 2 triangles and place on the two ends of the house with three toothpicks. Create the rest of the roof by leaning two waffles together from either side of the base to create a triangle peak. Secure with toothpicks.
- Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and use it to decorate and detail your gingerbread house. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon or powdered sugar, if desired.