The gingerbread house is a Christmas tradition that the whole family can make together. You don't have to spend hours making a gingerbread house, instead you can make a gingerbread house using graham crackers to save yourself time and effort during the busy season. Display your gingerbread house on a table or in a decorative corner for Christmas Day.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 box of powdered sugar
- 1 large box of graham crackers
- Hard textured Christmas candies for decoration
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Gingerbread House
Step 1. Divide your Christmas candies into several bowls
This step saves you the hassle of opening candy bags with sticky fingers later.
Step 2. Place an upside-down aluminum pie pan in front of you
Step 3. Mix egg whites and lemon juice in a large bowl to make royal icing
Add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar together and mix this mixture using a mixer until the icing has the consistency of stiff/hard peanut butter. This icing will firmly glue the walls of the graham cracker house and will also stick candy decorations to the surface.
Step 4. Place a few large spoonfuls of royal icing into a 1 liter (freezer) plastic clip bag
Avoid using plastic bags that are as thick as regular sandwich plastic bags because they are too thin and won't hold up when used as a tube for cakes. Approximately 1 cup of icing is enough for each plastic bag. Make sure that each gingerbread maker has his or her own plastic icing bag.
Step 5. Seal your clip plastic bag
Step 6. Use scissors to cut 1 cm from each corner of the plastic bag filled with icing
You now have an “icing tube”. When decorating, you will squeeze the icing into the cut corners and use it to dispense a line of icing on your gingerbread house.
Part 2 of 3: Building a Gingerbread House
Step 1. Remove six whole biscuits that are not cracked, broken and crumbled
Set aside four biscuits to form the roof and two long sides of your gingerbread house.
Step 2. Cut the remaining two biscuits to form the final piece of the “saddle” roof (the roof ridge of a house that resembles a horse's saddle)
Make a gentle "saw" motion using a serrated knife. Use the short end of a cookie to measure an angle from the center of the long biscuit to the center of the biscuit.
Step 3. Repeat the above steps to form the second gable end
Step 4. Apply icing along the edge of the gable tip and 1 whole graham cracker
Step 5. Place the long edge of the biscuit wall vertically against the bottom edge of the gable biscuit end
Glue the edges of the gable biscuits onto a line of icing on top of the flat part of the biscuit wall. These walls are supposed to hold each other up.
Step 6. Add the other end of the gable and wall in the same way
Use a line of icing along the bottom to attach the cookie chips to the pie pan. Also use a line of icing where the two walls will merge in the corners of the house.
Step 7. Add the biscuit roof in the same way as the biscuit walls, but this time spray the icing over the flat part of the roof, not the edges
Then, attach the flat roof to the top edges of the gable ends and to the walls. Allow the icing to set for 15 or 20 minutes before you take care of your gingerbread house again. If you put the candy on it too soon, you could destroy your gingerbread house.
Part 3 of 3: Decorating Gingerbread House
Step 1. Apply icing on the roof where you want to attach the roof boards
Step 2. Add the roof boards using the candy of your choice
You can also use cereal as roofing boards
Step 3. Use your imagination and decorate the whole house however you like
Check out some of these examples for your inspiration:
- A roof ridge
- A candy cane door
- Big stones
- A teenage boy's house
- An adult's house
- More adult versions
- A wooden hut
- An additional little house
Tips
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over the house and yard for a snowy effect.
- If you're making a gingerbread house with young children, try spreading royal icing on the empty side of a cream carton. Glue the graham crackers to the icing; this will ensure the sides of your gingerbread house don't crumble.
- Spray a clear varnish on your gingerbread house to make it last longer. Of course, this will make your gingerbread house inedible. Store your gingerbread house in a cool, dry place, and cover it every night with clean trash cans.
- Don't use sticky candy when decorating your gingerbread house. The surface oil prevents the candy from sticking well to royal icing.
- One way to prevent graham crackers from crumbling as you cut them is to first "paint" the cut line with water and a small paintbrush. This will make the biscuits soft enough to cut without making them messy. Don't worry – they dry quickly.
- Instead of making a triangular roof, you can place a whole graham cracker on top of the uncut rectangle.
- Don't use too much frosting.
Warning
- Protect the surface you are working on with newsprint or an old vinyl tablecloth.
- Check the condition of your gingerbread house throughout the season. Make sure the graham crackers don't soften from moisture, and make sure your gingerbread house doesn't attract ants.
- Keep your gingerbread house out of the reach of your pets or you will find them “trying on” your gingerbread house. It can be heart-wrenching for a little guy to find his work half eaten by a family of dogs!
