Recipe Chic: Gingerbread Houses

eNEWSLETTER eSTORE MESSAGE BOARDS LINKS LETTERS TO EDITOR FAQ SEARCH

HOME GOSPEL CHIC DEAL DIVA CHIC RECIPE CHIC MOMMY CHIC STYLE CHIC CRAFTY CHIC HEALTHY CHIC SPECIAL TOPICS

Gingerbread Houses
By Kathleen Gordon-Ross, senior editor

For years my mother-in-law has kicked off the holiday season by inviting kids as young as five and as old as 75 from her small town in western Missiouri to come to her house and decorate their very own Gingerbread house. She supplies the candy, they supply their own gingerbread and frosting. Bowls and bags of candy line every inch of her kitchen counter top. She has everything from M&Ms and Jelly Bellies to Chocolate Rocks and Sweet Tart Legos. Here is her time tested, kid approved recipe, assembling instructions and lots of decorating ideas and helpful hints

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup oil
1 egg

House Pattern

Beat together brown sugar, oil, molasses, egg. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Roll out on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and oiled with cooking oil or butter). Cookie sheet should be at least 10.5" x 15.5" for pattern to fit. (If needed you can use two smaller cookie sheets.) Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut out pieces, using pattern. Return to oven for 10 minutes. As the gingerbread cools it becomes hard and will break if not handled carefully. (Breaks can be mended with frosting.)

ROYAL ICING

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 lb. powered sugar

Beat together until it forms stiff peaks. Cover with damp cloth until ready to use.

Assembling your House

Getting Started.
Before you begin you'll need the following items. A base (A 1-ft square piece of cardboard covered with tin foil works wonderfully!); your gingerbread; a table knife; icing.

Step 1:

Determine how you want your house positioned on your base and secure one side to your base with icing.

Step 2:

Take the back of your house and cover the bottom and side edges with a thick layer
of frosting.

Step 3:

Match up edges and hold in place while frosting sets up.

Step 4:

Do same thing with your front piece. Be sure your side piece is either inside the front and back pieces or outside the front and back pieces.

Step 5:

Add your second side piece. Again allow your icing to set up before moving on to step 6.

Step 6:

Cover top edges of both sides, front and back pieces with frosting...

Step 7:

Carefully put on your roof pieces. Allow frosting a few minutes to set up before decorating

Your house is now ready to decorate!

Decorating Ideas

Here are some terrific examples
of houses kids of all ages have made and decorated over the
past few years. Hopefully they
will inspire you...

The Candy

Remember to think outside the box when collecting decorating items. Some of our favorites are:

Pretzle sticks
Sugar Ice Cream Cones
Food Coloring for icing
Cottonballs for smoke
Candy Sprinkles
Chocolate Rocks
A Variety of Gumdrops
Candy Legos
Christmas Candy Corns
Rope Licorice
Large Marshmellows

You can never have too much candy!