An advent calendar is one of the most cherished traditions of the holiday season, but store-bought versions often lack that personal, handmade touch. This year, why not embrace the magic of the season by making your own? A DIY gingerbread advent calendar combines the joy of baking with the excitement of a daily countdown, creating a centrepiece that’s as delicious as it is decorative.
Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a beginner looking for a fun Christmas project, this guide will walk you through every step. From baking sturdy gingerbread pieces to filling them with tiny treats, you’ll end up with a handmade advent calendar that your family will remember for years. Plus, it’s a wonderful way to spend a cosy afternoon and get into the festive spirit.
What You’ll Need: Supplies for Your Gingerbread Advent Calendar
Before you start, gather your ingredients and tools. For the gingerbread, you’ll need plain flour, butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and an egg. A rolling pin, cookie cutters (small house shapes or simple rectangles work best), and a piping bag with royal icing are essential for assembly and decoration.
You’ll also need masking tape or glue to attach a backing card, a craft knife to cut numbered flaps, and small treats or notes to hide inside each day. For an extra festive touch, consider adding a few shop-bought decorations like the Festive Wooden Merry Christmas Cake Topper to crown the top of your calendar, or scatter the Embellished Sausage Dog Christmas Tree Decoration among the houses for a playful scene.
Embellished Sausage Dog Christmas Tree Decoration
- Baking ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, syrup, spices, egg.
- Tools: rolling pin, house-shaped cookie cutters, piping bag, craft knife.
- Decorations: royal icing, sprinkles, edible glitter, and optional non-edible toppers.
Step 1: Bake Your Gingerbread Pieces
Roll out your gingerbread dough to about 5mm thick – any thinner and it may break when you add the filling later. Cut out 24 small house or rectangle shapes, making sure they’re all roughly the same size so they fit neatly into your backing frame. If you don’t have a house cutter, use a small rectangle and create a roof shape by snipping the top with a knife before baking.
Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 8–10 minutes until firm but not dark brown. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. While they bake, prepare your backing board – a sturdy piece of cardboard or a wooden board covered in festive wrapping paper works perfectly. Mark 24 evenly spaced positions to glue the gingerbread pieces.
Step 2: Assemble and Decorate the Houses
Once cooled, use royal icing to attach the gingerbread pieces to the backing board. Position them in rows of four or six, leaving a small gap between each. This creates the ‘calendar’ layout. Let the icing set for at least an hour before moving on to decorations.
Now comes the fun part – decorating each piece. Pipe a door and windows on each house using white royal icing, then add a number from 1 to 24 using a fine piping tip. You can also dust them with edible glitter or add mini sprinkles for a pop of colour. For a truly unique look, stick small non-edible items like the Embellished Sausage Dog Christmas Tree Decoration next to a few houses to create a miniature winter village scene.
- Use royal icing as glue – it dries hard and holds well.
- Pipe numbers carefully; use a toothpick to guide the icing if needed.
- Let each layer of icing dry before adding the next to avoid smudges.
Step 3: Create the Openable Flaps
To turn your gingerbread houses into an advent calendar, you need a way to hide treats inside each one. After the icing is completely dry, use a craft knife to carefully cut a small door or flap on the front of each house. Make three sides of the cut so the flap can lift like a real door. Be gentle – gingerbread can crack if you press too hard.
Alternatively, if you prefer not to cut into the gingerbread, you can attach a small paper pocket behind each house and slide a treat in from the back. This method is simpler and lets you reuse the gingerbread houses as decorations after Christmas. Either way, fill each compartment with a small chocolate, a note, or a tiny toy for a daily surprise.
Step 4: Add the Final Festive Touches
Once all 24 houses are in place and filled, step back and assess your handiwork. You may want to add a border of icing snow along the top of the backing board or pipe a roofline above the entire calendar. This is where the Festive Wooden Merry Christmas Cake Topper can shine – simply place it at the very top of your calendar as a cheerful finisher, spelling out ‘Merry Christmas’ in rustic wooden letters.
For extra sparkle, scatter a few loose decorations around the base of the calendar, like tiny trees or the Embellished Sausage Dog Christmas Tree Decoration. These non-edible pieces add charm without risking any damage to the gingerbread. Your DIY gingerbread advent calendar is now ready to bring daily delight to your home throughout December.
Making your own gingerbread advent calendar is a rewarding Christmas countdown craft that combines baking, decorating, and family fun. Not only do you get a stunning centrepiece, but you also create 24 days of tiny surprises tailored to your loved ones. Once the season is over, the gingerbread can be broken up and composted, while the wooden topper and decorations can be saved for next year. For more handmade advent calendar inspiration and festive decor ideas, explore the rest of our party and homeware collections at Ginger Ray.
