Gingerbread houses are a Christmas tradition. Made with thin gingerbread walls and decorated with candies and icing, they resemble the houses found in the German fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.They can be decorated in a variety of ways and can be a fun holiday craft for the whole family.

Ginger was used in the middle ages at a time when Germany was the center of the spice trade. It was then that gingerbread began to be used to create shapes and designs. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I had gingerbread men created in the image of her guests. http://www.germantownacademy.org/academics/LS/2/ginger/Index.html Gingerbread exhibits and competitions can be found across the U.S. where contestants create and display their creative gingerbread designs. http://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/gingerbread-house-contests.html

The walls of a gingerbread house are essentially cookies with some extra flour in the mix. The additional flour makes them sturdier than your average gingerbread man. The first thing you should do is make your dough. The following ingredients are generally found in gingerbread recipes. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_a_gingerbread_house/ http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/recipes/gingerbreadrecipe.shtml http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

• 5 - 6 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 - 1 cups of dark molasses
• 1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups of solid vegetable shortening or 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/2 - 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 2- 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons of ground cardamom

Once you have gathered everything you will need to make your gingerbread dough, you can follow these steps.

1. Sift or whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into a bowl. Set the bowl aside.
2. Using a mixer, beat the shortening until it takes on a fluffy consistency.
3. Add sugar and beat until blended.
4. Beat in one egg at a time.
5. Add molasses and beat until blended.
6. Add the dry ingredients in slowly. Beat at a low speed until a dough forms.
7. Divide the dough into 6 same-sized pieces.
8. Flatten each piece into a rectangular shape.
9. Wrap each rectangle in plastic.
10. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

Once you have your dough chilling, you will have time to create your templates. These are the guides that will be used to construct the pieces of your gingerbread house. You will need to have some type of stencil material. Baker's cardboard is the ideal material, but you may use paper if necessary. Next you will need to find a gingerbread house pattern.http://ultimategingerbread.com/ These can be found in cookbooks or online. They may also include a checklist that can be used to ensure you have each of the pieces needed. Once you have chosen which pattern you would like to use, you can trace the shapes onto the cardboard and cut out the stencils.

After you have allowed the dough to chill adequately and you have prepared your stencils, you can start to bake your gingerbread pieces. First you will want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator at a time so that the remaining pieces stay cool.

1. Place the dough between 2 15-inch-long sheets of parchment.
2. Roll out the dough.
3. Turn the dough and parchment over periodically.
4. If the parchment wrinkles, peel off, smooth the wrinkle and reposition the parchment over the dough.
5. Place one of your roof or wall stencils on top of the parchment paper and dough.
6. Cut around the stencil with a sharp knife.
7. Peel the top sheet of parchment off the dough.
8. Pull excess dough away from your gingerbread house piece.
9. Slide the gingerbread house piece on the bottom layer of parchment onto your baking sheet.
10. Repeat the rolling and cutting process for the remaining 5 pieces of your house.
11. If you have any extra dough, use it to make extra shapes for your house. Stars, Christmas trees or gingerbread men are a good choice.
12. Bake your gingerbread house pieces in the preheated oven for 9-13 minutes until the edges begin to darken and the center is firm to touch.
13. Allow to cool completely before you begin construction on your gingerbread dream house.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

The mortar for your gingerbread house is called "royal icing." Royal icing is a combination of egg whites, confectioners' sugar and an acidic ingredient (usually lemon or cream of tartar). You can save the icing for a long period of time, but it needs to be covered tightly because otherwise it will dry quickly. If you would prefer not to use egg whites you can replace the egg ingredient with meringue powder. To make the icing using eggs, beat four eggs until fluffy and add seven cups of powdered sugar.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229 If you want to make an egg-less icing, use the following ingredients. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/royal-icing-recipe/index.html http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/royal-icing-ii/Detail.aspx http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html

• 3 tablespoons of meringue powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or extract
• 4 cups of confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup of warm water

1. In the bowl of the mixer, whip together the sugar and meringue powder.
2. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
3. Add the water. Beat for approximately 5 minutes or until stiff peaks begin to form.
4. If you are ready to assemble your house, put the icing in a pastry bag. If you are still waiting for the walls to cool, save the icing in a tightly-sealed plastic bag.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

Assembling your gingerbread house will take a couple of days because your walls need to be cemented before you slap the roof on top. So, be sure to give yourself enough time for the construction phase of your gingerbread home away from home.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

1. Pipe a generous line of icing along the bottom of one of your side walls.
2. Stand the iced wall up on your cardboard foundation. Hold the wall upright, or set it against a soup can or glass of water to hold it up.
3. Pipe another line of icing along the bottom inside edge of the wall to reinforce it.
4. Repeat this process with all the walls. Be sure to put a generous line of icing wherever two walls meet.
5. Be sure that the walls are at right angles before the icing hardens. (A cereal box is a great way to check.)
6. Set the house aside overnight and allow the icing to harden. (This can take 4 to 12 hours depending on the consistency of your icing.)
7. Pipe one of your roof panels with a generous helping of icing.
8. Affix the panel to the house. Use a prop (such as a cup) to keep the panel from sliding down the side of the house.
9. Pipe around the roof panel's seams.
10. Allow the icing to harden for at least an hour before repeating the process with the second panel.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-House-103229

1. Allow the icing to harden for another 4 to 12 hours before decorating.

When you decorate your gingerbread house, all of the decorations should be edible. You will need to have assorted candies, icing and other sweets that could be used as accents. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Use cotton candy to make your chimney appear to be smoking.
2. Miniature marshmallows can be used as snowballs
3. Fruit roll-ups can be used for window shutters
4. Necco Wafers can be used to create a textured roof
5. Make icicles by placing drips of icing on the edge of the roof
6. Make gingerbread people and place them in the yard of the gingerbread house
7. Use powdered sugar or shredded coconut to cover the ground and make it appear to be snowhttp://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/

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