log house gingerbread house

How To Make log house gingerbread house

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  Of course this doesn't have to be a house at all, you can make it: Santa's Workshop Reindeer Barn Mrs. Claus's Cookie Kitchen Elf's Toy Shop And more than just Christmas places: Hansel & Gretel's Candy Cottage Haunted House Easter Bunny House Leprechaun House Dog House Beach House The possiblities are endless - use your imagination!
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  Great ideas.... A great place to get certain items, like wreaths, people, etc is at a doll house store where they sell all those miniture items. Here's a link: http://www.miniatures.com/
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  PATTERNS/TEMPLATES: Theses templates are just an example....you can use any template or idea you have. The possibilities are endless! IMPORTANT: TAKE TEMPLATES BELOW & PHOTOCOPY THEM DOUBLE SIZE! Side Wall W/ Windows http://www.bonappetit.com/pdfs/gingerbread_house_diagram_for_side_walls.pdf Front & Back Walls W/ Door: http://www.bonappetit.com/pdfs/gingerbread_house_diagram_for_front_and_back_walls.pdf On 1 cardboard sheet, draw 14" round & cut out, making base for house. On another cradboard sheet, draw one 7" X 10" rectangle & cut out. Outline this rectangle 3 more times on cardboard sheets & cut out, making 4 foundation rectangles. Draw one 6" X 9" rectangle on cardboard sheet & cut out, making roof template. Place 1 sheet of waxed paper over diagram for sides of house (from above). Trace diagram & cut out waxed-paper template. Outline waxed-paper template on cardboard sheet & cut out, making cardboard template for sides of house. Trace diagram for front & back of house (from above) onto another sheet of waxed paper. Cut out waxed-paper template. Outline waxed-paper template on cardboard & cut out, making cardboard template for front & back walls of house. Discard waxed-paper templates.
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  ROYAL ICING (MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS): Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks, 7 - 10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer or 10 - 12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer. NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency. For stiffer icing, use 1 tbsp less water. When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tbsp less water. THINNED ROYAL ICING: To thin for pouring, add 1 tsp water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 tsp water at a time until you reach proper consistency.
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  GINGERBREAD: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, & baking powder; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter & brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices & salt. Beat in eggs & molasses. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide dough into thirds & wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8" thick. Cut into desired shapes, or using template instructions, if desired. Place dough shapes on ungreased baking sheets; chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake 15 minutes, or until gingerbread is firm in the center, but not dark around the edges. NOTE: Dough for gingerbread houses are perfectly edible; it just has more flour in it to make it sturdier for houses than regular gingerbread cookies.
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  INSIDE HOUSE: If you are doing the inside of the house, before doing anything, you want to color the floor. Paint a decorated carpet or tile floor or even constrution paper - use your imagination. Then add a decorated christmas tree (see Trees below) & some candy presents (& for the life of me, I CAN NOT REMEMBER THE NAME OF THOSE CANDIES (old fashioned something or other) (see picture) - somewhat close to a clear empty window (see windows below).
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  ASSEMBLY OF THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE: Place 14" round cardboard base on work surface. Spoon some icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/4" - 3/8" diameter tip; cover icing in bowl tightly to prevent drying. Pipe small dab of icing in center of round. Place one 7" X 10" cardboard foundation rectangle on icing; press to adhere. Pipe small mound of icing in center of rectangle. Place second 7" X 10" rectangle over; press to adhere. Repeat with more icing & remaing two 7" X 10" rectangles, forming foundation for house in center of round cardboard base. Pipe thick line of icing on bottom edge of 1 side wall. Stand wall on cardboard foundation, icing side down, 1" in from & parallel to 1 long side & 2" in from 1 short side; hold 5 minutes. Pipe thick line of icing onto front edge of wall. Press back edge of front wall (with door cutout) into icing on front edge of side wall. Hold pieces together 5 minutes. Pipe thick line of icing onto bottom edge & up front edge of second side wall. Press icing on front edge into back edge of front wall. Hold for 5 minutes. Pipe line of icing up back edge of each side wall. Press edges of back wall into icing, forming back of house. Hold 5 minutes to set. Pipe lines of icing inside house at 4 intersections of walls, along base and on outside at all vertical joints to reinforce. Pipe thick line of icing along 1 long edge of front-door cookie. Attach cookie to left side of door opening in front wall, creating an opened front door. Pipe any icing left in pastry bag back into bowl of icing. Cover tightly; store at room temperature to use for decorating later. Let house stand until icing is completely dry & very hard, about 12 - 24 hours.
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  ASSEMBLY OF THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE: Prepare second batch of icing as described above, if needed. Beat in any remaining icing from first batch. Spoon icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/4" - 3/8" diameter plain tip. Pipe thick line of icing down 1 diagonal edge of front wall; continue piping icing along tip edge of adjoining side wall & up diagonal edge of back wall. Press 1 roof rectangle into icing, positioning so that top edge aligns with tops of front & back walls & lower edge overhangs side wall by about 1 1/4". Hold in position 5 minutes to set. Pipe additional lines of icing along roof joints inside house to reinforce. Pipe thick line of icing down second diagonal edge of front wall; continue piping icing along top edge of adjoining side wall & up diagonal edge of back wall. Press second roof rectangle into icing, positioning so that top edge aligns with edge of first roof rectangle & bottom edge overhangs side wall by about 1 1/4". Hold in position 5 minutes to set. Let house stand until icing hardens, at least 5 hours. Cover bowl of icing tightly & let stand at room temperature.
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  DORMERS: You can also do 1 - 2 dormers to add character to your house - just follow directions above.
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  CANDIED MOSAIC "STAINED GLASS", IF USING: To do this, cut different colors of hard candy (jolly ranchers are perfect) into pieces & arrange them next to each other on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake the candies at 250 degrees F for 6 – 8 minutes, until they melt & run together. (Picture is before melting the candies) NOTE: Just make sure they are big enough to fit your windows. And it’s much easier to install the “glass” before putting the roof on!!! Or you can make one big one & after melted & cooled - break or cut into pieces to fit the windows.
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  OUTSIDE "LOGS": Pretzel rods, cut to fit around house (see assorted pictures).
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  TREES: GREEN ROYAL ICING + IRIDESCENT GLITTER OR CLEAR SANDING SUGAR: Take a pastry bag fitted with a star tip & starting from bottom of sugar ice cream cone, pipe long stars, alternating for each layer. While icing still wet, through some glitter or sugar on to make like snow. (pipe stiff green ‘stars’ using a #18 tip or any star or leaf tip works really & you can pipe small, tight stars or larger, longer ones - whatever your preference). Since you need a place to grip the cone, stop piping near the tip and let the icing dry. Once it is firm, you can gently hold on to the bottom of the tree and finish the rest. SNOWY TREES: Take sugar ice cream cone & coat with white royal icing, while still wet, coat with coconut or glitter or sugar. STANDING TREES: Attach pretzel rod inside sugar cone with thick royal icing. Pipe icing inside of cone & press pretzel into position. You could place the cone, point side down, in a glass to hold until icing is set, about 2 hours. Handle carefully when you start to decorate the tree. Using Tip 75 with the wide, flat point of tip up with green icing, pipe a row of leaves, starting at the base of the cone. Hold the pretzel rod in your opposite hand & turn slowly as you pipe the leaves. While still wet, through sanding sugar on leaves & place pretzel side down in glass to let leaves dry, about 2 hours. When starting to attch standing trees, you must use thick, strong royal icing & build up the icing around base of "tree trunk" & have something stable it while it dries - at least 12 hours. So it's a good idea to only have 1 or 2 of these trees.
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  CHIMNEY &/or COBBLESTONE DRIVEWAY & WALKWAYS: Make https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cookies/rock-fudge.html?p=1 into somewhat flat rocks & attach them to the chimney with thick royal icing.
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  ICICLES: Use a #2 piping tip & use thinned royal icing.
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  FONDANT SNOWMAN & SNOWWOMAN: They are all edible except for the colored toothpick as his nose.
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  FENCES & GATE: Can be done a couple of ways.... 1. Twix candy bars work great & pipe snow using royal icing onto them. 2. Pretzel Rods work great too for long fences. 3. Mini pretzel sticks or lollipop sticks lined up together for a security fence. 4. 2 large pretzel twists...make a great gate.
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  SOME OTHER IDEAS: Bread Sticks: Rafters, beams Brown Sugar: Dirt walkways, flowerbeds Candy Canes: Pillars, beams, fence posts, light posts Cinnamon Red Hots: Paving stones, flowers Colored Sprinkles: Flowers, Christmas lights, ornaments Crushed Cookies & Crackers: Dirt or gravel Fruit Roll Ups: Carpet, window shades, shutters, shingles Gum Drops: Flowers, ornaments, bushes, hedges, topiary tree Hershey Kiss: Church bell, roof decorations Jolly Rancher Hard Candy: Stained glass, (blue) ponds Large Marshmallows: Snowman or Snowwoman Licorice: Railings, edging, beams, chimney, bricks Licorice Ropes: Rope, edging, window pane dividers Lollipops: Road signs Mini Chocolate Bars: Doors, shutters, shingles Mini M&M's: Tree decorations, Christmas lights Mini Marshmallows: Snowballs, snow forts Pretzel Rods: Logs, firewood Pretzel Twists: Ironwork fences, gates, rooftop decorations, gingerbread decorations off roof, scrollwork Red or Black Licorice: Railings, edging, chimney, bricks Shredded Wheat: Hay Silver Dragees: Doorknobs, ornaments, fence
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