Re: Holiday Candy
Things to Consider
If you take the time to do a little planning before you start, the end result will be a lot more fulfilling and successful. Before you start, do a little planning. Believe it or not, this can be a big project and in order to have the success you are hoping for, it is important to prepare for all the possibilities. Following is a listing of things that can make your planning and construction go a lot smoother:
1) Make a Timeline
Preparing a timeline before you get started can prevent big mistakes later on, and also keep you from getting too tired, bored or frustrated. Below are a few tried and true recommendations from the experts:
§ The week before you even begin construction, finalize your design, buy the candy you will be using and collect all supplies that will be needed. Then,
§ Day 1 - Make the dough and chill it the in refrigerator.
Day 2 - Construct base of house.
Day 3 - Put on the roof and let it all dry.
Day 4 ? Let the fun begin and enjoy the decorating process
2) How BIG do you want your gingerbread house to be?
In this case size does matter. If you are planning a house that is over 12 inches high, consider using cardboard for support. To do that, you would make cardboard pieces the same as your gingerbread pieces and glue the gingerbread pieces to the cardboard with royal icing. After they have dried, start constructing the house. If you are planning to make a house less than 12 inches, an all cookie structure will be sufficiently strong to stand alone without additional support.
3) Decide Which Style of House You Would Like?
This is the perfect opportunity for you to exercise your full creativity. For some ideas, look at architecture magazines, or go to the library and find information on gingerbread houses and their history. There are so many different styles available to choose from, including:
§ Victorian Mansion
§ Log Cabin
§ Cathedral
§ School House
§ Castle
§ Cottage
§ Your House
4) What Special Features Do You Want to Add?
Once you have decided the style of house you want to build, then you need to start thinking about the details. Keep in mind that these are the things that can make a gingerbread house masterpiece that will be talked about for holidays to come! You may want to include such features as:
§ Fireplace
§ Bay Windows
§ Flower Boxes
§ Garden/Foliage
§ People/Figures
Tips to Make the Construction Go Smoother
Your gingerbread dough should be strong and sturdy. Bake it carefully until it is hard and dry, then allow it to cool completely before beginning your construction.
§ Be sure to assemble the house in sections. Don't put it all together in one day because it will fall apart.
§ Put a layer of icing on the base, leaving the inside of the house icing free. Pipe the edges of the walls with icing and set them together on a base. You can use one-pound cans of fruits or vegetables to hold them while they dry.
§ Let the support walls dry before applying the rooftop.
§ When the rooftop has been added, let it all dry together for 2 to 3 hours or overnight if possible.
§ Start decorating your house after the structure is completely dry.
Getting Started Decorating
This is the part you have been waiting for, isn't it? A quick visit to your local specialty candy store or even your grocery store will supply you with lots of sugary things you can use to decorate your house. Following is just a small list of some the candies that can be used:
§ Sticks of gum for roof shingles
§ Necco? wafers for roof shingles
§ Confectioners' sugar for a dusting of snow
§ Edible rice paper for windows (available at Asian supermarkets)
§ For walkways-dampen superfine sugar, stir in food coloring and press to ground finely; allow it to dry before applying.
§ Graham crackers for doors
§ Fruit roll curtains tied back with licorice strings
§ Cinnamon sticks for a woodpile
§ Candy rocks or pebbles imbedded in royal icing for any stonework and chimney ornamentation
§ Crushed nuts for a gravel walkway
§ Straight candy canes make good supports for porches
§ Mini pretzels for fence making
§ Wafer creams for window shutters
§ Mini shredded wheat squares (frosted or unfrosted) for the thatched roof look
§ Cotton candy makes for great smoke rising from the chimney
§ Use royal icing and a small, round decorating tube to create icicles hanging down from roof edges
Helpful Tools and Supplies
Don't get caught without the right tools when you need them. Be prepared for anything and everything. Here is a list of recommended items and supplies to have on hand before you start!
§ All the ingredients you need to bake the gingerbread and decorate it
§ Icing bags, couplers and tips
§ Small cookie cutters: people, horses, various shapes that can be used to make any of the details you want on your house, i.e. roof shingles, fence)
§ Cardboard to use for support on larger houses
§ A pizza cutter for cutting out gingerbread house pieces
§ A re-sealable plastic bags for icing. These can be used as pastry bags for the icing, (clip a corner and squeeze the icing out as you go)
§ Something to use for the base of your project. Thick cardboard or a square of plywood covered in fancy wrapping paper or just plain craft paper works great.
§ Dressmaker pins to secure gingerbread pieces together
Getting the Kids Involved
Be sure to have the kids right there to help; they'll love it and you will have enthusiastic helpers who will do all the jobs you would rather not do. Below are a few guidelines and ideas for this occasion:
§ Assemble the house beforehand then let the kids have at it.
§ Keep it simple so that kids don't get too frustrated or bored.
§ Have some nutritious snacks on hand so the kids don?t start eating all the decorating candy.
§ Put the icing in a bowl and have kids dip the different candies before applying them onto house.
§ For very young children, make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers or make very small gingerbread houses out of gingerbread pieces that measure 4? x 4? inches or 2? x 2?.
How to Preserve Your Masterpiece
With all the time, effort and creative juices involved in making your gingerbread house, you may decide that you want to preserve it for future display. In order to do that, apply a coat of varnish (from a hardware store or craft supply store), or simply spray the entire house with hairspray. Then wrap the gingerbread house tightly in a plastic bag and store it in a safe place until ready to pull it out next year.
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