One of my favorite Christmas traditions is creating a gingerbread house with my boys! We never build anything spectacular…in fact, some years the sweet little dwellings must have looked pretty pathetic to the untrained eye! But the eyes of a mother see nothing less than a grand castle perched high on a cake plate–representing more than just a traditional craft but an evening of family fun and cherished memories for years to come! No matter how you go about it…bake your own or purchase a kit…making a gingerbread house is a lovely way to bring the family together for a night of merriment! (a little mess making too…but it’s not the holiday without some sprinkles on the floor!) Gather up a selection of candies and tie on the aprons…it’s time to craft a home
with walls made of gingerbread!
this year we’re doing one tiny house together…my favorite kit from Ikea is just the right size!
these cute tree kits will make a lovely “forest” to accompany the cookie cottage!
so gather the goodies and whip up the extra icing…it’s time to start building!
candies, gumballs–whatever your heart desires!
whenever i have left-over candies i save them in baggies for just this occasion! we can dump out all the sweets and the kids can have a “candy store” to pick from!
construction begins…
royal icing holds everything together!
mix until thick & creamy: 4 C. powdered sugar, 3 egg whites, 1/2 t. cream of tartar
(i added a couple teaspoons of milk & some green coloring at the end to make a runnier version to do the trees. you can also substitute powdered egg whites & some milk in the icing recipe if you have tasting temptations while you’re constructing!)
you can pipe it with a bag or just let the kids spread it onto the embellishments! either way it will be wonderful!
