Haunted Winter Cabin Gingerbread House

Ah, what’s more idyllic than a rustic, thatch-roofed cabin in the woods? How about a haunted cabin in the woods?

Every year for Christmas in July, my family and I make elaborate gingerbread houses. It’s a fun way to take a break from the summer heat and reminisce about the holidays. Whether you build a gingerbread house for the holidays or in the heat of summer, this haunted cabin might have you thinking of building in October for Halloween!

Rather than gingerbread, I built this house from graham crackers. They’re easy to cut, hold glue without peeling, and and are flat and thin, so they provide straight walls and clean corners. You may, of course, decide to make your own gingerbread instead, but since the walls and ceiling aren’t directly visible, it doesn’t make much of a difference. I also used graham crackers for internal architectural supports for the roof.

My preferred glue is from this recipe from Kids Activities. It’s very simple to make, dries quickly, and it’s quite strong. It’s as simple as mixing powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder.

The roof is made from chex cereal. The fieldstone for the walls and chimney is made from mixed beans—I opened a bag of 15 bean soup and picked out the ones I wanted to use.

One of my favorite touches was this wreath, which I made from sour candy tape. I cut the tape into very thin strips, then braided them together. The bow is from the same candy, tied (or actually, just pressed) into a bow shape. I used a full piece of the candy tape for the tree in the yard.

This pile of chopped firewood for the fireplace is made from split pieces of a few different sizes of pretzel. The head of the ax is made from fondant, and the handle is uncooked spaghetti.

So there’s your basic gingerbread cabin. But what about the “haunted” part? A look from above begins to tell the story…

There are some bloody footprints in the snowy heading behind the cabin. Where are they coming from?

The old graveyard! The tombstones are also made from graham crackers. The fresh dirt is coffee grounds. Something had crawled from the grave! I made the footprints by carving a piece of cheese into the shape of feet, then pressing this cheese “stamp” into red food coloring and pressing it into the icing snow.

Whatever has come back from the grave wants into the cabin, and it’s found a vulnerable window (the glass is a melted butterscotch candy).

I made the handprints by simply painted food coloring on with a frayed toothpick.

The idyllic cabin looks lovely in the snow, but something from beyond the grave is going to turn this winter daydream into a nightmare. You can include the ghoulish touches, or omit them for a cozy cabin on its own!