Gingerbread houses anyone?

[notfundy]

Does anyone make & decorate gingerbread houses at the holidays?  If so, do you bake the gingerbread pieces yourself or use a kit?  Is this something you do with the young'uns... (yours, or rented for the afternoon)?  Apologies if there is an existing thread on this somewhere; I searched as best I could.  

I did this years ago when my kids were young and started again three years ago when we had twin boys in our extended family reach the age where they may or may not be interested in decorating houses; mostly they are interested in licking the frosting off their fingers and in eating as much candy as they can get away with.  The first year they had just turned five... now they are seven and we'll be doing this again this weekend.  I've made two "test" houses (photos here) and have the boys' houses baked, assembled and ready to decorate.   One of the boys is interested the other is clearly not interested but they will have to humor me for at least an hour this Sunday.    GOD DAMMIT IT YOU BOYS WILL HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF THE HOLIDAYS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!  

Note the ninjas I found in a cake decorating store.  The boys clearly like to make a story out of this gingerbread house thing; last year little gingerbread men on the roof = "bad guys breaking into the house'.  There were gummy worms "attacking the house".  

The boys were visiting tonight and I showed them some extra gingerbread pieces (I use a "structural" gingerbread recipe; edible but super-hard).  One of the boys asked me to hold up a piece so he could see it better and then executed a perfect martial arts kick, breaking it exactly in half (I admit I knew what he was up to, thought it was funny, and it was an extra piece after all).  I am the fun (great) aunt.  

[catlady]

you *are* the fun aunt!!  i love the ninjas and worms!!  and your houses really look nice!

[Guest]

GOD DAMMIT IT YOU BOYS WILL HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF THE HOLIDAYS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! 

Heh, this sort of reminds me of my moms approach to the holidays when I was a kid.  I like your determination!

My mom tried to do an actual gingerbread house with me and my two male cousins when we were young.  They were more interested in the frosting and candy, and I got upset when the house fell apart.  The next year she made them out of cardboard milk cartons and hot glue, and we just decorated them and ate candy and frosting.  It was fun, and no worries about it falling apart.  Yours are awesome! I would like to live in the bottom one, its so cute.

[PennySycamore]

I would like to make a gingerbread house from scratch with my granddaughters, but probably the best I'll do this year is to buy a kit house.  (Penny in a Sears Kit House...)  I do love to make gingerbread men/women/Scotties/Polar bears/Ninjas, though.  It smells just wonderful and tastes divine! 

Two or three of my daughters, one or two of my granddaughters and I went up to see the National Gingerbread House competition at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville last year.  Some of the houses were very well done and then there were some others that were awful!

The Grand Floridian hotel at Disney World has a life size gingerbread house that you can walk through.  They also sell gingerbread men.  Of course, you have to get a gingerbread guy after smelling that house!

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure I saw that competition televised on the food network a few years ago.  The houses were amazing, it must really be something in person.

[Toothfairy]

I buy a gingerbread house and try to put it together it never works. I'm just getting one from the bakery this year. 

Does anyone make & decorate gingerbread houses at the holidays?  If so, do you bake the gingerbread pieces yourself or use a kit?  Is this something you do with the young'uns... (yours, or rented for the afternoon)?  Apologies if there is an existing thread on this somewhere; I searched as best I could.  

I did this years ago when my kids were young and started again three years ago when we had twin boys in our extended family reach the age where they may or may not be interested in decorating houses; mostly they are interested in licking the frosting off their fingers and in eating as much candy as they can get away with.  The first year they had just turned five... now they are seven and we'll be doing this again this weekend.  I've made two "test" houses (photos here) and have the boys' houses baked, assembled and ready to decorate.   One of the boys is interested the other is clearly not interested but they will have to humor me for at least an hour this Sunday.    GOD DAMMIT IT YOU BOYS WILL HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF THE HOLIDAYS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!  

Note the ninjas I found in a cake decorating store.  The boys clearly like to make a story out of this gingerbread house thing; last year little gingerbread men on the roof = "bad guys breaking into the house'.  There were gummy worms "attacking the house".  

The boys were visiting tonight and I showed them some extra gingerbread pieces (I use a "structural" gingerbread recipe; edible but super-hard).  One of the boys asked me to hold up a piece so he could see it better and then executed a perfect martial arts kick, breaking it exactly in half (I admit I knew what he was up to, thought it was funny, and it was an extra piece after all).  I am the fun (great) aunt.  

why can't I do this

[notfundy]

@Toothfairy    I know your frustration - it took me a while.     The "secret" is (1) use a recipe for "structural" gingerbread (impossible to break under normal decorating conditions and (2) make industrial strength royal icing: one pound of powdered sugar, three heaping tablespoons meringue powder (basically powdered egg whites with some stabilizers, can be ordered on Amazon or even gotten at most grocery/Walmart type stores) + 5-6 tbls warm water - put it in in a stand mixer, or mix by hand.   Takes 5-10 minutes to mix up into stiff peaks.        Will need several batches, I usually double it.    Dries super-hard.   Use a TON of it.  Like, a TON of it!  

My go-to recipe, which is also fairly cheap to make since it doesn't taste that great, is here:    http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/crossculturaldesserts/r/gingerbread.htm    The central/eastern europeans know their stuff re: gingerbread houses (my son-in-law is Czech).     His mom is good at this stuff but I actually found the recipe through google.    In fact that site has a recipe for icing, a good pattern, etc.

I am so not a "crafting" or baking expert but this is one of two Xmas things I can do (the other is felt/sequin ornaments).  Many years I am not in the mood but this year I am.  

 

[December]

I usually make an inedible gingerbread house for display, then a batch of decorated gingerbread cookies for eating. 

For the house: I bake the side and roof pieces, cool them, then superglue them together and let them set. Then I superglue on the various candy decorations, and let them set. Finally, I pipe a royal icing around the candy decorations and on the roof and sides for decoration. It looks nice, still smells nice, and stays together for the whole month of December. And probably beyond, but I toss it after New Year's! 

In years where I've done the gingerbread houses with younger children, I assemble the houses ahead of time and and just let them glue on the decorative candy and icing. And let them eat some candy before starting, so they don't accidentally eat glue! Then I make normal gingerbread cookies for actual eating, and we decorate them up all pretty -- sans superglue  

It's not the most elegant or crafty solution, but it works for me! 

[Arete]

I have made gingerbread houses in the past, but screw the kids, it used to be an afternoon with 5 other girlfriends from college.  One of them, who is still a talented baker to this day, would bake the pieces ahead of time and bring them.  The rest of us brought the candy, icing, pipe bags, booze, and nibbles.  A great way to relax during the holidays.  Then people started adding husbands, kids, grown up responsibilities, and suddenly there was no time to spend an afternoon decorating gingerbread houses, giggling, and getting buzzed during the holidays.  I am a very mediocre decorator but I always gave it my all.  

i have a 25 year old Good Housekeeping that has a gorgeous pattern (?) and instructions to make a "little church in the woods".  I swear I am going to at least try to make it one day.  The "stain glass window" is stunning.

Thank you so much for posting your pictures and starting this thread @notfundie.  Love, love, love the ninjas!   This thread and your pictures tells me you have the gold medal locked down for "coolest aunt. 

 

[chainey]

One year I had a couple of kids to entertain and needed an idea that would work for a couple of different ages. So I used graham crackers. Each kid got a paper plate, the crackers, icing glue and we constructed them into houses and then they decorated them. Some were eaten, some given as gifts and one ended up on my tree as an ornament. There are instructions on-line and its an easy fun project. Highly recommend doing it.

[notfundy]

I have made gingerbread houses in the past, but screw the kids, it used to be an afternoon with 5 other girlfriends from college.  One of them, who is still a talented baker to this day, would bake the pieces ahead of time and bring them.  The rest of us brought the candy, icing, pipe bags, booze, and nibbles.  A great way to relax during the holidays.  Then people started adding husbands, kids, grown up responsibilities, and suddenly there was no time to spend an afternoon decorating gingerbread houses, giggling, and getting buzzed during the holidays.  I am a very mediocre decorator but I always gave it my all.  

i have a 25 year old Good Housekeeping that has a gorgeous pattern (?) and instructions to make a "little church in the woods".  I swear I am going to at least try to make it one day.  The "stain glass window" is stunning.

Thank you so much for posting your pictures and starting this thread @notfundie.  Love, love, love the ninjas!   This thread and your pictures tells me you have the gold medal locked down for "coolest aunt. 

 

Oh wow that sounds like so much fun!  I've lost touch with (or we live in different parts of the country) friends who'd be so much fun to do this with!    

[Imaginary_Wonderland]

I love your gingerbread house @notfundy 

About two years ago, I bought a set for making a house, either a chocolate version or gingerbread version. The recipe on the back of the set doesn't look great but I have gingerbread house recipe in a cookbook so hoping to adapt it to use.

I have not made use of the set yet or made a gingerbread house but it has always been on my Xmas baking to-do list for last two years. So thanks for reminding me about it. I really hope this year I will 'try' to make one. I am sure it will be a disaster though. So that is putting me off big time.

Last year since I didn't have the time or energy for making a gingerbread house, I gave gingerbread men cookies a go instead. I even messed them up. Didn't leave enough space between them on the tray and they spread big, so in the end it looked more like a traybake instead. But tasted good so I guess that is something, even if they looked a mess.

[PennySycamore]

I found a Gingerbread Tardis on youtube today.  It's made with two Wilton Gingerbread House kits and a few other things.  It looks amazing!  I have to admit that I was looking for a recipe for a Sonic Screwdriver.

[Lynn18]

I have always wanted to do this, but I never seem to find the time/energy. A gingerbread tardis sounds...fun!

[OldFadedStar]

We made one this year! I didn't eat it though.. my husband tried nibbling on it. He didn't eat much which is telling for him because he is used to spending 6 months a year onboard a carrier.