Making Gingerbread Houses: Our Fun Family Tradition

December 15, 2009

 

In the afterglow of Thanksgiving dinner, we began to be ready to think about Christmas (a little late if you ask most retailers).  We saw a special on how they decorate Disneyworld for Christmas – and had the bug. While it had all the usual stories about trees and lights( over 1000 65 foot trees)  for us, the story that resonated most was about food of a sorts – gingerbread houses!

 

At Disney, they even make a complete store out of gingerbread, a huge display at a monorail station.  We have seen the White House constructed in gingerbread too.  It can be a real art – or a great party. 

 

Since the children were little, we have made gingerbread houses every year – some elaborate, some in a hurry, some very original.  It started in England where my very talented friend Jeanne, brought the three familes with six kids together for a wonderful two day exercise.  Jeanne lovingly handcrafted the gingerbread pieces, taught us how to make royal icing that worked better than superglue, and laid out a spread of candy and other items to decorate with that would leave the children full of sugar for days.  Camille lovingly donated her house for what is a sticky adventure on its best days, and we all settled in to learn how to turn shredded wheat into roof tops and clear mints into reflecting pools.

 

As the children grew older, and we moved away from our friends, the tradition remained.  We went through a phase of great creativity where Scott made gingerbread submarines and air craft carriers, and our imaginative Laura decorated everything just so with a pretty story.

 

In college, when trips were shorter, we migrated on to pre-made kits, with extra candy for décor. Grandma learned how – even though the dog stole it off the kitchen table.  Guests away from home had to take part too. The good news is, if you live in a dry climate, you can even store these masterpieces in a bag in the attic for a couple of years.

 

How to Make a Gingerbread House or Christmas Ornament.

Gingerbread for houses is not your run of the mill gingerbread – it has to be stiff for good walls!  There are some great recipes and patterns available, or to cut down on prep time, most grocery stores will have a kit with pre made pieces.  You can make ornaments too! Just use your favorite cookie cutter and make sure you pike a hole at the top so it will hang.  If you are really pressed for time – you can use graham crackers for structural pieces.

 

When you are ready to assemble – be prepared for icing glue. 

 It goes everywhere!! And it sticks like glue, so cover your tables or counters. We have always found it works best  with extra sugar and cream of tartar for extra sticking powder.  And powdered egg whites work too – you really aren’t going to eat too much of it! Make twice as much as you think you will need – extra always helps, and if you want a snow covered scene, you will go through a lot. When you put the roof on, leave it for a few minutes to set so it doesn’t go sliding down  to the ground.

 

If you’ve never used a pastry bag for icing – this is not the time to panic.  Think of it as an easy way to squeeze in tight places.  Grab yourself a plastic sandwich bag and fill with the icing.  Cut a tiny diagonal corner off the bottom and squeeze out through the hole.  If you’ve ever had whipped cream, icing or cheese in a can, you know what to do!  The best part is, it’s disposable – no washing up.

 

The next most important thing are your decorating options.  Kits come with some candy for decoration and a picture for suggestion, but let your imagination run wild.  We have found the most useful things are small frosted wheat  cereal biscuits, red licorice whips for paths and roofs, striped candy canes and peppermint, gumballs and red hots – but go wild!

 

When you are satisified with the results, or your children run out of concentration put them on display for the family, friends and neighbors.  Some towns have a contest between Scout troops or children and display the results in the store windows.  But take a picture first, while they can last for a couple of years cared for, accidents happen – including the one the dog took from the kitchen table, or the building that fell down when it was cleaned and you want a record forever!

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