Gingerbread Tutorial

As Promised...

December 2002

Gingerbread and Graham Cracker House

Instructions...

As a young girl, I learned to make Gingerbread Houses...REAL Gingerbread Houses. I made the dough, rolled it out, baked it, cut out the pieces, then assembled it. I would sell Gingerbread Houses to earn money for Christmas.

Little did I know that this I would use my Gingerbread House expertise for MANY years to come. Making the large Gingerbread Houses utilizes the same techniques needed for assembling the small Graham Cracker Houses.

As a gift to my children, their friends, scout groups, school classes, neighborhood friends, etc., I have been helping children assemble their own Graham Cracker Gingerbread house for 25 years. It is something I enjoy doing every year.

Below, are some of the secrets I have learned along the way, with a focus on the Graham Cracker Houses:

• Each House Takes 5 Graham Crackers. (See Below)
• Each Box of Graham Crackers contains 27 Graham Crackers (9 in each pouch)
• Cut each piece (One at a time) with a serrated knife. Go back and forth with a sawing motion to make a cut that will not break the rest of the Graham Cracker. DO NOT try to cut more than one at time, "just to save time" One or more of the crackers will crack if you do that.
• You will need 2 of each piece.
• ROOF= 3/4 of a Graham Cracker
• SIDES= 1/2 of a Graham Cracker
• FRONT and BACK- Cut from the middle perforated line on the Graham Cracker to a corner, then cut from the other side middle perforated line up to the center line. The Graham Cracker perforated lines help as a guide for centering
• Use a large Pastry Bag with a wide tip for piping the icing on in thick lines.
• Use a Styrofoam Plate (inverted, aka upside down) as the base. If you want to get fancy, use red plates. If you have a lot of time, or just want something extra to do, cut out pieces of cardboard and cover them with aluminum foil, or colored foil wrapping paper (this works well for the larger houses) I also use the Wilton round cake bases for the larger houses.
• If you are making a larger house....buy a kit. It is so easy. However, I always use more of my own candy and decorations than the kit provides.
• Use A Variety of Candies. Tried and True Candies are: Red and Green M&M's, Cinnamon Red Hots, Peppermint Candies, Miniature Candy Canes, Gum Drops, Fruit Loops Cereal, Red Licorice, etc. For the large houses, I like Neccos Candy or Shredded Wheat to make the roof.
• Have Candies organized and ready to use. Once the icing is piped on, it dries quickly.Place candies in individual plates at the center of the table.
• I like to work with groups of 4-5 at a time, but have worked with larger and smaller and it always turns out great.
• If you have a large group of children, have other stations with activities to keep them occupied while they are waiting for their turn or upon completion. (Making an ornament, Christmas Card, decorating cookies, a Christmas Craft, etc.)
• Make Icing Right when it is time to start the project. NOT AHEAD OF TIME.
• Use ROYAL ICING...not canned store bought icing.
• ROYAL ICING RECIPE: (This is enough for 1 large house or 5 small Graham Cracker Houses)
• 3 Egg Whites
• 1/4 tsp Cream of Tarter
• 1 1/2 Pounds Powdered Sugar. (This amount varies with climate. Here is the humidity of South Florida, I use almost 2 pounds) Whip on high speed until the icing peaks stand up and the shine is just gone. This is very temperamental icing. Don't let kids lick the bowl...Raw Egg Whites....nuff said. (For a classroom or group, I plan on 25 houses, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled ,etc)
• When icing is mixed, place in pastry bags and begin to assemble. When working with a group...YOU pipe the icing on, then have the children place their candies on.
• Warn Children that this icing has RAW EGG WHITES in it and they should NOT eat it or lick their fingers.
• Don't have children attempt to pipe the icing, unless you have a lot of time and extra icing. They tend to use too much and make a HUGE mess.
• Have damp rags ready for hand wiping.
• Always assemble the front, back, and sides before attaching the roof. It is much easier to work without the roof on.
• Add the roof, add the icing, decorate, and enjoy.

Graham Cracker House Pieces.... 5 Crackers per house to make 6 pieces

Large or small, the same basic techniques apply.

Here is me with Andrew after our 2002 Big House assembly.
This year's first Gingerbread night...

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy and Contact me with Questions