By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
‘Tis the season for cozy family memories and honoring generational traditions. Making gingerbread houses has become associated with fun for all ages, creativity, friendly competition and a delicious reward.
Pick a colder, less humid day to make your gingerbread masterpiece. The higher the temperature and humidity, the more likely that the frosting will not stick and your walls will collapse on themselves. Bah, humbug.
If you want to use a baking shortcut for the crafting, perhaps use graham crackers or pick up gingerbread from a local bakery like Chester’s in Somers Point. Or, test out my recipe for gingerbread at the bottom of this article. It’s flavorful but firm with a good snap on every bite.
When preparing for the gingerbread house making, line a table with parchment paper to protect the surface and ensure that any droppings are still edible. Whip out the muffin tins to easily lay out your candy and other exterior siding supplies.
You’ll want to really think through the design of the house, if it’s even a house at all. Consider rather building creating a church, schoolhouse, or even something more ‘out-of-the-box’ like a concert stadium, Santa’s workshop, or winter forest.
Let’s talk frosting, which acts as your cement. A thick royal icing is your best bet for structural integrity. I recommend using my recipe for a thick royal icing, then transferring to a piping bag for easy application.
You’ll want the icing to stay as cool and pliable as possible. This means either keeping it refrigerated or covering the bowl with a moist towel while building your house.
Why does the house have to be hollow? Place a loaf of pound cake or (gingerbread cake) in the middle of your foam board workspace and lay the walls against the cake with icing. It’ll be much sturdier.
Here’s one of the best hacks for making your gingerbread house stand out: decorate the walls before you lean them upright against the cake. That way you aren’t bending over backwards to get the perfect design or even shutters around the windows. It’s so much easier!
If you have any overflowing icing, just turn it into icicles. Use a wide variety of candies and sweets like marshmallows, butterscotch chips, or sprinkles for extra pizzazz. Powdered sugar makes for great snow, and coating your house in chocolate Magic Shell adds a depth of fudgy pigment to your exterior walls.
Don’t fear thinking, or acting, out of the box. Try crushing candy canes or jawbreakers to make application easier, or less stereotypical. Consider using Nutella or Biscoff if you get sick of traditional frosting. Cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch make for great, tasty shingles.
Enhancing the exterior will add to your specific gingerbread design. Pipe green frosting onto an upside-down sugar cone to form trees. Before you start decorating, stamp out each individual window, then place a Jolly Rancher in each window with the wall laid flat on a nonstick sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the oven for about five minutes (at 350 degrees), and a beautiful, glossy stained-glass window will result.
With enough time and detail, your gingerbread house will be the crown jewel of your holiday splendor. Here’s my recipe for the perfect gingerbread and royal icing:
Christmas Gingerbread:
Ingredients:
- 4 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of freshly-grated ginger
- 12 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of molasses
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 2 lemons, zested
Use a large stand mixer to combine the wet ingredients: eggs, molasses, brown sugar, lemon zest, and butter.
Sift together the dry ingredients. On slow speed, in batches, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. A lot of dough will be made!
Roll the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
On a lightly-floured sheet of parchment paper, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it’s 1-inch thick. Cut a 9-inch on all sides square and place each onto a greased baking sheet.
Use any remaining dough to cut gingerbread men to bake later.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, then carefully place each square onto cooling racks. For optimum gingerbread house stability, let each square dry for at least three days to harden and avoid cracking.
Royal Frosting:
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar
- Egg whites from 3 large eggs
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
Use a stand mixer to cream the frosting by adding the ingredients and mixing on high until peaks form (7-10 minutes).
Cover completely and refrigerate, but best to use immediately, as the frosting hardens quickly.
