Making a Gingerbread House

One house

Here’s an easy craft to make with your little ones for the holidays! Adults love it too! Make the graham cracker house ahead of time and decorate it with all your favorite candies. Everyone is a work of art... So much fun too!

Making a Gingerbread House

Yield: One - Two houses

For each 1 - 2 houses...

Ingredients:

7 - 14 whole graham crackers
Batch of Royal Icing
Assorted candies: Gum drops, peppermints, M&M’s, Twizzlers, hard candies, dummies, etc

Royal Icing Recipe:

2 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups powdered sugar

Equipment needed:

Hand mixer
Measuring spoons
Dry measuring cups
Medium bowl
Rubber spatula
Paper plates
Pastry bag & tips

Making Gingerbread houses is one of my fondest memories of my children’s childhood! Whether we made them from homemade gingerbread or graham crackers... They are a fun and creative way to celebrate the holiday season. Each young child can create a crazy, unorganized mound of sugar or as they age… a beautiful house of color and artistic expression. Even adults love to make things too! Grab your crackers and lets’ make a house!

First step is to make the Royal Icing! This icing dries to create a ‘hard as rock’ texture and holds the house and the candy together. Begin by separating the eggs and placing the whites in a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend the whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping until smooth & shiny. Add the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time, blending well after each addition. The final product will be thick, shiny and barely runny. Cover icing with plastic wrap or waxed paper to prevent drying.

Set the icing aside. Cut the crackers per the picture above. You will have 2 whole crackers for the roof. Two crackers with 3 segments and 2 crackers cut to make a point. You will also need another cracker the same length as the side pieces, cut in half horizontally… to extend the height of the sides. Place some royal icing in a pastry bag or plastic baggie with a corner cut off. Squeeze a line along a plate with icing to set the house. Run beads of icing on the inside of the pointed crackers. Reinforce with extra icing. Allow to dry for 5 minutes to set up. Add side wall extensions and roof. Cut the excess from the side wall to create a shorter door. Paste with icing on the front of house. Allow house to dry for at least 15 – 20 minutes or until icing is hard. Sometimes wrapping a string or a large rubber band around the circumference of the house holds it together as it dries.

Now the fun begins!! Using assorted candies, decorate the roof and sides. Add a fence, walkway, bushes... whatever you desire! Remember it’s your child’s creation... Doesn’t have to be perfect to be precious. It will be messy...Make sure you buy lots of candy as I’m sure there will be plenty of candy eaten too!! Take pictures... build memories. Have fun and ENJOY!!