Have You Tried Making a Gingerbread House?
Place about a cup of unwrapped clear mint candies in a zip bag. Use a hammer or the back of a butter knife to smash the candies. Add the crushed candies to the windows of the house. Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Divide the candies between the cut out areas of the cookies. Make sure the entire areas are covered with the cookies, but make sure they stay in those areas. Smash more candies if needed to completely fill the areas. Bake for an additional 1-2 minutes until candies are completely melted. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To put the house together, use royal icing to bond the 2 flat sides of the house to the 2 house pieces with cut out doors. Let it dry for 15 minutes. bond the 2 roof pieces to the top of the house. Hold in place for a few minutes, then let the house dry for 15 minutes. While it dries, make the chimney. Bond the 4 pieces together with the 2 side pieces attached to the front and back piece. Let the chimney dry for 15 mintes, then place on top of the house.
And there you have a gingerbread house! Happy Holidays!
Chocolate Gingerbread House
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-3 1/2 cups flour
Windows
- Clear crystal mint candies
Royal Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp warm water
- 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Dough
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and corn syrup to mixer. Mix at low speed until fully blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, one cup at a time with your mixer on low, until all are incorporated. Separate your dough into 3 equal balls. Roll out each ball to about a 1/4" thickness between sheets of wax paper. Then chill these "flats" of dough for at least an hour before baking. Line your baking pans with parchment paper. Use gingerbread house cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Cut out 2 house fronts, 2 house sides, and 2 roof tops. for the chimney, cut out 2 side chimney pieces and the front and back piece. Place into the freezer until ready to bake.Unwrap several clear candies (about 1 cup) and place in a plastic zip bag. Close the bag and crush the candies by using a hammer or the handle of a knife. bang the candies until fully crushed. Remove the cut out dough from the freezer. Add about 1 tablespoon of crushed candy into each window. Be sure that there is enough candy to completely fill the windows without leaving any gaps. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Place icing in a piping bag with a small round tip. Follow the instructions of the gingerbread house kit that you have to put it together, by using the icing as a "glue" to hold the sides together.Let the house dry completely, at minimum of overnight.
Royal Icing
- In a small bowl, combine warm water, light corn syrup, and extract. Stir until corn syrup is dissolved. Add sugar water to powdered sugar and stir until completely combined. Mixture will be thick. Add water more water if needed little by little. Place icing in a piping bag with a small round tip. Decorate each cookie to your liking.
