Some historians believe that the Brothers Grimm invented the gingerbread house in their nineteenth-century tale Hansel and Gretel. Whatever the origin of such sweet architecture, the gingerbread house has become a symbol of the holidays. Today, professional artists mold, bake, build and decorate elaborate gingerbread scenes for citywide competitions (the Boston Christmas Festival hosts one every year—check out the gingerbread Fenway Park that won in 2008). With a few items from your local grocery store, however, you can construct your own edible dream home in the comfort of your kitchen.
Break 2 graham crackers in half to create 4 small graham squares. These will form the side walls and roof tiles of your house.
Carefully cut a peak into the top half of the remaining 2 graham crackers, to form the front and back walls of your house. These walls should look like a triangle on top of a square.
For the glue, you can make your own Royal Icing. (Ours is adapted from Sandra Lee. You can also use store-bought frosting.)
For the Royal Icing:
Beat egg whites with the vanilla until frothy.
Instead of egg whites, you can substitute
– 2 ¼ Tbs meringue powder mixed with
– 4 ½ Tbs warm water
Add the confectionary sugar and continueto beat until well mixed and stiff
Apply the Royal Icing around the edges of the graham crackers and stick together. Use the Royal Icing to glue your house to a paper-plate, a tray, or another foundation. Extra icing can be used to decorate windows, add trim, or adhere shingles to your roof.
Decoration Suggestions
Shake confectioner’s sugar over your house to give it that just-snowed-on look
Cut-up sour belts, Oreos, gingersnaps, Necco Wafers, M&M’s, sliced almonds, or Frosted Mini-Wheats make great shingles for your roof
Jellybeans can pave a colorful cobblestone path to your front door » Cinnamon sticks or pretzel sticks piled in the yard will look like firewood; they also can be used to make a fence around your candy property
