| There is little that is as impressive as homemade | | | | gingerbread house will be restricted to the size of |
| ginger bread houses, and they are not as difficult | | | | a 12-by 15-inch baking sheet, and cut your |
| to make as some might have you think. Children | | | | templates accordingly.o Do not make your dough |
| love it and it's a great indoor activity. The parents | | | | any thicker than 3/8-inch. For ginger bread houses |
| can help by building the frame and overseeing and | | | | larger than 6 inches square, use 1/4-inch thickness |
| the children can use their favorite candy to | | | | and for smaller houses, use 1/8-inch. |
| decorate it. | | | | Weight-bearing walls should be just slightly |
| Instructions For Ginger Bread Houses | | | | thicker.o If you want the walls covered in icing, |
| Building your gingerbread house (believe it or not) | | | | you may need to thin the icing with a few drops |
| will not be that different to building or planning a | | | | of water and then spread gently on the sides |
| real house except that you don't need to go into | | | | before assembling. Let sit for the icing to dry.o |
| such elaborate detail. You can make the | | | | When assembling, apply the "glue" icing using a |
| gingerbread earlier on, making sure that it cools in | | | | pastry bag, and let sit for 30 minutes to set |
| a dry area before wrapping securely to store. Be | | | | before actually assembling. This will help the pieces |
| sure to allow plenty of time to put the final | | | | adhere better, resulting in a more stable |
| decorative pieces together. | | | | structure.o When assembling, apply a generous |
| Keep in mind that you can use this recipe for | | | | (but not dripping) amount of icing glue to one side |
| both ginger bread houses and cookies too.o Cut | | | | of the joint. Press un-iced piece to the iced edge |
| out the basic structure templates for your house | | | | and hold briefly until the icing sets. If you want |
| from cardboard and test the result first by taping | | | | more stability, you can also icing-glue the walls to |
| the pieces together. If it will stand as made out of | | | | the base.o For the icing decoration, use a pastry |
| posterboard, then it will be structurally safe for | | | | bag with various decorating tips or a knife. You |
| your real gingerbread house.o Try not to build just | | | | can easily fill in gaps and smooth construction |
| any old house, be creative and add some of your | | | | errors with icing and candy decorations. Wipe off |
| own creative touches. You can make virtually any | | | | smudges or drips with a clean, damp paper |
| shape, from igloo to castle to farmhouse. Or, use | | | | towel.o Apply candy decorations, dab a small |
| a loaf mold in the shape of a house to eliminate | | | | amount of icing to the underside of the candy and |
| the basic construction steps.o Make a base for | | | | hold in place until set.o Use dough scraps to roll |
| your house. Use a piece of plywood covered with | | | | out added decorative cut-outs to be applied with |
| foil, a large heavy platter or baking tray. You will | | | | icing glue. These cutouts can be impressed with |
| want to be able to move the entire structure | | | | designs before baking.o If you don't have time to |
| easily. You can use a sheet of gingerbread on top | | | | do the baking, you can use cardboard or graham |
| of the base if you wish, but it's not necessary.o | | | | crackers and still show off your decorating skills |
| Remember that the dimensions of your | | | | with your ginger bread houses. |