Viral TikTok Baker Andie Bryce Reveals Three Mistakes You're Making When Creating Your Gingerbread House
Andie Bryce, an Utah-based baker, has taken TikTok by storm with her beautifully elaborate and truly one-of-a-kind gingerbread houses (or, gingerbread mansions, as one commenter pointed out!). Like many who saw her viral video about "how to win your gingerbread house competition," I was blown away by Bryce's meticulous attention to detail and ingenuous use of candy supplies. "The gum bricks are sort of my signature," says Bryce, who cuts gum sticks and colors them to replicate the look of red brick. "I had never seen that before and I feel like that's kind of a thing now." Not only is she an expert baker, she is a candy connoisseur, sharing daily tips and tricks on which sweet is best for each decorative element of your gingerbread house. My personal fav? Using different flavored jolly ranchers to create stained glass windows. Genius!
So, how does one not only get into the art of gingerbread houses, but become so skilled at them that companies like Amazon are reaching out for custom orders? Well, it all starts a few generations ago: "My grandmother started making gingerbread houses with the women in her neighborhood in the 70s," recalls Bryce. "They started this little gingerbread house display to encourage people to come to the local historic sites. They ended up having to build a building for the gingerbread house displays, they got so big! Then she taught my mom, who taught us when she had me and my siblings." Bryce's mother would often have people over to teach them how to make the gingerbread houses and Bryce encouraged her to start a business or write a book. "She was like, 'no, that does not sound fun, I'm not doing it.' So I was like, 'ok well, I'm going to!'"
With no previous art or baking background, Bryce created Judy's Gingerbread (named after her grandmother) three years ago and now she runs a year-round business. And it's much more than just decorating, too: "I build houses for content, I create digital assets and templates, and do product development," she explains. "We sell gingerbread house wrapping paper, cards and cookie cutters... From August to December it's very, very busy and then November to December it's 100-120 hour work weeks, like every week."
"I think my family thinks I'm a little bit insane but they're all very supportive," laughs Bryce. Out of all the facets of the business, she particularly loves building custom houses and the creative challenges that come from achieving each unique style of home.
Bryce is determined to keep the art of gingerbread houses alive and inspire others to embrace the tradition, not run from it. "I feel like there are a lot of traditions where you do it just to check it off the list," she says. "This was such a special part of my childhood. It forced us all to be in the kitchen together for two solid days straight. We got so much bonding time, we turned on our Christmas playlist and just danced and sang and bonded. I want memories and the bonding time, not just the checkmark."
In the spirit of giving, Bryce generously revealed to House Beautiful the three mistakes you're probably making when constructing your gingerbread house, and what you should do instead to not only make it last the holiday season, but as a family tradition for years to come!
Mistake #1: Building Before Decorating
This one feels like a no-brainer, but not many think to do it! Bryce says it's so much easier to decorate your pieces when they're flat and not at an awkward angle. The one caveat is decorating the roof: "the walls you decorate before you build, the roof you decorate after."
Mistake #2: Using Hard Gingerbread
"If it's too soft, it's not going to stand and if it's too hard, it's going to break," says the expert. According to Bryce, you've achieved pique durability when the gingerbread loses its shine during the baking process.
Mistake #3: Ignoring The Interiors
Bryce always adds fairy lights to her houses and they truly help to bring the magic. "They're the cutest, easiest touch. I'll also put Christmas trees on the inside that you can see from the window."
Happy Baking!
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