This easy-to-make “gingerbread” house is made from pretzels, candy, and frosting. These pretzel cabins are a fun alternative to gingerbread houses. No baking required! Construct with pretzels and hot glue and decorate.
For this stone cottage, use gum to trim the windows, door frames, and rooftop. Pipe icing in a decorative fashion under the roof eaves. Use brown icing to mortar halved jelly bean “stones” onto the house, and to secure bran cereal pieces to the roof. Dust the roof with confectioners’ sugar.
Gingerbread Pickup Truck
Edible decorations make for unforgettable holiday moments. Expand the tradition beyond houses with a country-approved gingerbread pickup truck.
This masterpiece is created with the help of a chateau mold, so it’s easier to make than it looks. To get the stone wall effect, use royal icing, sanding sugar, and food coloring.
Find a clean, flat, sturdy piece of cardboard, foam core, or wooden board that measures about 12-inch square. Straighten all edges of gingerbread pieces by trimming on a cutting board using a serrated knife or microplane and a ruler.
STEP 1: House Base
Fill a piping bag fitted with a #3 tip with 1 1?2 cups of royal icing. Pipe icing along both edges of one side wall and join it to one end of both the front and back walls. Press to create a tight seal. Place a heavy aluminum can (such as beans or soup) along the inside and outside of each wall to provide support. Pipe icing along both edges of the remaining side wall and adhere it to the opposite ends of the front and back wall to form a rectangular box. Take care to face the most attractive sides of the pieces outward as you construct the house. Pipe along the inside joints and along the base to help ensure that the connections are secure. Place heavyweight aluminum cans against the house sides—both inside and outside the box—to support the structure while it dries. Allow to dry completely (at least 3 hours).
STEP 2: Roof
Pipe a thick line of royal icing along the top edge of one roof piece. Secure it to the top edge of the other roof piece so that an A is formed. The distance between the base edges of the should measure about 5 inches. Stand the connected pieces on end on a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Pipe along the inside joint to add extra support to the connection and place heavy aluminum cans against the pieces to provide support while the icing dries (at least 3 hours).
STEP 3: Chimney
Form a box with the 4 chimney pieces by piping along the edges and fitting the pieces together. Make certain the two notched pieces are opposite each other. Add more icing along the inside joints and let dry for at least 2 hours. Use aluminum cans for support.
STEP 4: Assembly and Directions
Everything must be completely dried before beginning this step. Use icing to adhere the candy window panes to the inside of the window cutouts. Place the roof on top of the house base.
For the Snowcapped Cabin: Coat the roof with a thick layer of melted white chocolate. Allow tiny drips to form along the bottom of the roof for “icicles.” Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Pipe a decorative edge along the house edges and under the roof eaves. Add door, chimney, peppercorn wreaths and window boxes, and chewing-gum shutters.
Gingerbread Dough
STEPS
1. Create cardboard templates using the shapes shown enlarge 400 percent. Cut 2 of each shape, adding door and windows to the sides and ends.
2. Roll out cold dough between parchment paper. With templates as a guide, cut out shapes with a small knife. Transfer with a spatula to a sheet pan.
3. After baking, cool pieces completely to prevent cracking or breaking. Before assembly, use a microplane to shave any edges that aren’t uniform.
4. Before beginning to decorate, separate each type of candy into its own small bowl. To store, place the house in a covered box in a cool, dry spot.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
The dough must be kept cool and firm so the cutout pieces will retain their shapes. For best results, chill dough thoroughly before rolling it out. Place rolled dough, board and all, in the refrigerator and chill. Cut out shapes and transfer, while still chilled, to a heavy baking sheet. Never use a warped pan.
Pieces directly onto a white foam-core base. Tint icing to match the walls. With a small round tip, neatly pipe one corner at a time, applying icing to the wall’s edges, as shown. Use cans to hold walls upright as icing dries, about 3 hours.
Trim Your Gingerbread House
The house after setting out all candy and decorations. Before applying, cut jelly beans in half horizontally and vertically. Pipe tinted icing on small areas; add candy, then pipe icing on another small area. Once finished, let dry for 12 hours.
Candy Decorations
Play architect with easy-to-find candies, cereals, spices, and decorations.
FOR THE GINGERBREAD CABIN
SNOW: melted white chocolate sprinkled with sparkling sugar and lined with silver dragees.
WREATHS AND WINDOW BOXES: licorice whips (snipped) and green peppercorns.
SHUTTERS AND LINTELS: sticks of chewing gum.
RED CHIMNEY AND DOOR: dough tinted with food coloring (outline them and house joints with royal icing).
PATHWAY: sunflower seeds, puffed millet, and dragees.
FOR THE STONE COTTAGE
THATCHED ROOF: All-Bran cereal lined with sticks of red gum.
EAVES AND MASONRY: jelly beans.
WINDOW FRAMES: sticks of gum.
DOORKNOBS: dragees.
WINDOWS: To create a warm glow, place hard candies on a lightly oiled nonstick sheet pan at 350°F until melted, 5 or 6 minutes. Do not let the candy bubble; remove it from the oven as soon as it has melted.
MORTAR: Royal icing is the “glue” that holds the gingerbread house pieces together and the embellishments in place.
Get a group of friends and family together for a gingerbread house decorating party! This kit has plenty to go around so everyone can join in on the fun
Pre-baked and ready to assemble with design ideas on the box
Net weight: 3.69 lb. (1.67 kg)
Assembled houses measure between 3.25 and 4 in. high
Includes 8 individual sets of gingerbread house panels, 4 types of candy; green fondant, white, green and red ready-to-use icing; gingerbread boys and sign icing decorations, 4 decorating bags and tips and instruction sheet
Contains milk and wheat; made on equipment that also processes egg, soy and tree nuts
Get the family together for gingerbread an afternoon or night of gingerbread-decorating fun
Ready to assemble with everything you need to build and decorate 4 houses
Net weight: 1.87 pound . (850 gram)
Assembled houses measure between 3.25 and 4 in. high
Includes 4 sets of gingerbread house panels, 3 types of candy, green fondant, red and white ready-to-use icing, 2 decorating bags and tips and instruction sheet
Contains wheat; made on equipment that also processes egg, milk, soy and tree nuts
