Parties With Cake!: Gingerbread House Tutorial

I'm so pleased to share with you, that I recently WON the Dream House Award~2012~Gingerbread House Tour Display and Competition for Mt. Pleasant, PA!

It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!
Here's the Dream House I created
"Welcome to Gingerbread Land"

The trophy was made by Peter O'Rourke of O'Rourke Glass in Mt. Pleasant ~ www.aglassgift.com
The annual competition raises money for the www.woundedwarriorproject.com

Gingerbread photos available on
http://www.samantha-sweets.com/p/gingerbread.html?spref=fb

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Gingerbread House Tutorial from Samantha's Sweets...

Create your own gingerbread house! It's one of the magical things about the Christmas season.

Here's how...

Ingredients: Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix ~in the pouch~ is a great cookie mix. I add a little extra cinnamon and spices for an extra kick.
Royal Icing:
Wilton Recipe~
3 tbsp. Meringue Powder
4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
6 tbsp. water Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes or until icing forms peaks.
*You can also purchase royal icing mixes at specialty kitchen and party stores and just add water.
*I also use Candy Melts to construct my houses. It works great! Sometimes you may find a few cracks when it drys; just coat back over it.

Candy, fondant, gumpaste and sprinkles, are the other items I like to decorate with.

Tutorial...

Dimensions of this template are...
Front and Back: 4 x 4 inch square with 4inch angles(pitched roof)
Roof: 4 1/2inch by 5inch(width) rectangle
Sides: 4 x 5 inch(width)
Gingerbread House Templates available on --http://www.patterns.gingerbreadbydesign.com/

The gingerbread should cut very well with out cracking, using a serrated knife.

Yummy!

Candy Melts are great to use but cool off and harden quickly.
It is a race against time, so you may want to use a piping bag with no decorating tip.

Construct the four pieces ~ front, back and 2 sides. Hold in place, each piece, until set. You may need an extra set of hands to help. ; )

I like to brush on edible glitter and sparkle with my gingerbread house designs, for a whimsy effect.
Brush the edible glitter on the Neccos, fondant decorations and even the white chocolate candy melts.

This gingerbread house was made for a very special party project with

Jenny Dixon~my sweet party friend.