Christmas Holiday Houses

Save time and money with our Gingerbread House Kit for only $29. Includes everything you need to make the tastiest gingerbread house.

Gingerbread Mixture

Dry Ingredients

350gm SNK Cake and Pastry Flour (about 2⅓ Cups)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 firmly packed Cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp mixed spice  

Liquid Ingredients                  

60gms butter or margarine

3 big Tbsp treacle or non-diastatic malt  

1 medium egg - beaten

For those who dislike ginger make the mixture chocolate flavoured. Just replace the ginger and mixed spice with 1 tsp Dutch Cinnamon & 1 tsp Dutch Cocoa.

To make Gingerbread.

1. Sift flour, baking powder and spices together.
2. In a microwave or a saucepan, gently melt the syrup, butter and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then cool slightly.
3. Add the egg, gradually stir/beat in the dry ingredients until mixture is smooth.
4. Wrap mixture in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll out, keep wrapped while it is not being used. Keeps for over a week in the fridge.

To Make a Gingerbread House using a Silicone Mould

1. Roll out mixture on a lightly floured surface.
2. Roughly cut out pieces approx. the size of the mould sections.
3. Spray the mould with baking spray, press the dough into the required sections of the mould. Don’t overfill, the mixture can be lower than the top of the mould.
4. Roll out any leftover dough and use cookie cutters to make biscuits.
5. Place the silicone mould on a baking tray.
6. Place the biscuits on a baking mat or baking paper lined tray.
7. Bake in a moderately low oven (140-150°C), bake large pieces for 10-20 mins (small for 10-15 mins).
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on wire racks, when cold, gently pry the pieces out of the silicone moulds. Slide mat or paper lining with biscuits onto a cooling rack.
9. Store cooked gingerbread house pieces or biscuits in airtight containers until ready to assemble or eat.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

1-2 egg whites                     

2-3 Cups pure icing sugar (sifted)                    

squeeze of lemon juice.

1. Beat egg whites till thick and gradually add pure icing sugar, and lemon juice, until a thick spreadable consistency, keep covered or it will dry.

Toffee House Walls

To make a very glamorous Gingerbread house, some of the walls can be made from toffee.  They are pretty, golden and lights shine through.

Ingredients

250gms SNK Baker’s Icing                   

1 Tbsp Water

1. Scrape the baker’s icing into a saucepan, add the water.
2. Heat the mixture over moderate heat, until the icing melts.
3. Don’t stir, but you can scrape down the edges with a flat knife blade if needed.
4. Keep heating until the mixture is boiling, making sure it doesn’t boil over.
5. Boil, watching carefully, until the mixture changes to a golden toffee colour.
6. Take the saucepan off the heat and immediately place the base of the pan in cold water in the sink. This should stop the toffee from burning and allows the bubbles to subside.
7. Place the silicone mould on a very flat heatproof surface.
8. Pour the toffee into the required parts of the mould, don’t overfill. I prefer to make the pointed gable ends of the house out of toffee and other walls and roof from chocolate or gingerbread.
9. Leave the toffee to cool and set.

• When cold, gently peal out of the mould. Store in an airtight container until needed. 

Chocolate House Walls or Roof

To make a very glamorous Gingerbread house, some of the walls or roof can be made from chocolate.   My favourite is Toffee, Chocolate and Gingerbread.

Ingredients

250gms SNK Cadbury Chocolate buttons – milk or dark

You can also mix rice bubbles or corn flakes into the chocolate before pouring/pressing into the moulds. Extends the chocolate.

1. Place the chocolate buttons into a microwave safe container.
2. Heat on moderate, stirring very often, until fully melted and fluid.
3. Place the silicone gingerbread house mould on a flat surface.
4. Pour in the chocolate, don’t overfill. It is not necessary to fill each mould section to the top, you can have thinner walls/roof sections.
5. Leave to set. You can transfer the mould to the fridge to aid setting, just make sure it stays flat.
6. When chocolate is hard, gently peal out of the mould. Store in an airtight container until needed.

Preparing to build the Gingerbread House.

A gingerbread house can be assembled on a gingerbread base or a stiff cake decorating board. Traditionally royal icing is used to glue the pieces together, but I have discovered that melted chocolate buttons are a terrific substitute. 

Use chocolate or royal icing or both to attach lollies and decorations. 

1. Melt Chocolate buttons in a wide casserole dish in a microwave, stirring often.
2. Wait till it has cooled and thickened a little, if it sets just reheat to soften again.
3. Plan where the house will be constructed on the board. You can mark the corners with a pencil.

 

To Assemble the Gingerbread House

4. Dunk the base of the back “gable” wall into cooled thickening chocolate, and press in place on the rear of the board. Hold for a short while or use a glass or container to support the wall until set.
5. Dunk the rear and base of a side wall piece into the chocolate and press in place on the outside of back wall, pressing the corner together.  (Be careful to line the side square to the back wall.
6. Attach the other side wall the same way, lay the second gable flat on the board in the space between the ends of the 2 walls. This makes sure the space is correct for the front to fit.
7. Then add the front “gable” piece.
8. Allow to set for a short time, chocolate sets much quicker than icing.
9. To attach roof, spread a generous layer of chocolate on the top edges of the house walls and press the roof in place. Hold in place a couple of minutes, then reinforce by spreading more icing or chocolate along the top join.  You can fill the house with lollies or gifts before attaching the last roof piece.
10. Using either royal icing or melted chocolate, add fences, wood boxes against the house, doors and windows, lollies and other decorations around the “garden”.

Colour royal icing by mixing a few drops of food colouring (wet or dry powder) into a small amount of icing.  Roll out long strips of gingerbread mixture about 1.5 inches high, cut out tiny fancy shapes (i.e. hearts or stars) along the length, then bake, to create fancy fence panels to use to surround the house.

Store biscuits in jars and wrap the house in cellophane with lots of curling ribbons.