Top 10 Tips for Exceptional Gingerbread Houses
Making a Gingerbread House with my mum and siblings is such a treasured family memory for me. Mini "competitions" on who had the best decorating skills or fastest to build their house were always the scene of great debate, laughs and the occasional argument!
Once I became a mum, I knew that I wanted to carry on this tradition for my own family, which lead to the creation of our gingerbread cutters. Through much trial and error (and some tricky maths) we were able to create cutters that make it easy to bake gingerbread in the correct shapes and sizes for amazing houses!
A question we get all the time is: "How do you get your gingerbread houses looking so good?". The truth is, its all in the baking and cutting of the gingerbread, as well as a great recipe. You can find the best one we have found here. We have adapted the recipe from www.chelsea.co.nz
Our Gingerbread cookie cutters come in 4 sizes:
Mini Mug Topper- Great for Christmas Morning Tea in the office or a family gathering
Small Gingerbread House- Great for making one for each child to decorate themselves!
Large Gingerbread House- Family sized for sharing!
Nativity Set Gingerbread House- A new addition this year, celebrating the story of Christmas with a gingerbread house set that looks great and tastes even better!
We also have stamps for the small and the large gingerbread houses that make decorating a breeze!
Below are my Top 10 tips for making exceptional Gingerbread for amazing houses!
10. Get the kids to help with the decorating, not the assembling!
9. Want to get the look of snow on the finished product? Use icing sugar.
8. Use the royal icing to “glue” the gingerbread house to the board or platter that you are making it on to stop it moving around. Also to stick the lollies on.
7. Do the sides first. Let that set and harden before you try and do the roof. Hold the roof for 5 mins or so while it is setting. (Perfect opportunity to put a movie on for the kids)
6. Because they are bigger than a normal cookie you need to bake it longer than a normal cookie. You don’t want it to be soft as it will break if too many lollies are added to the decorations.
5. If using the stamps, dust the cookie dough with a generous amount of flour so the stamps don’t stick. The excess flour will absorb into the cookie when you bake it.
4. Stick the house pieces together with royal icing. Make your royal icing extra thick by adding extra icing sugar than what the recipe asks for.
3. Set out individual bowls of lollies so the kids aren't putting their sticky fingers in the bags!
2. Don't stress! The kids will love their "creation" regardless of how it looks. Try to let go of the perfect looking house and embrace the magic of Christmas!
And the Number 1 tip for the best Gingerbread Houses...
1. Chill the dough after it is rolled and cut. Straight from the fridge or freezer to the oven. Makes it easier when you assemble because the sides stay straight.
Happy baking!
xx Lynley
