According to Wikipedia, the first gingerbread house came to life as the result of the well-known Grimm’s fairytale ‘Hansel and Gretel’, where two lost children chance upon an edible house made of bread and sugar decorations. Since then, gingerbread houses have found form in all shapes and sizes, a classic pastime know around the world.
While gingerbread cookies derive their name from powdered ginger, the flavor of the cookie is probably more rooted in the cinnamon, molasses, cardamom and nutmeg found in most recipes. Gingersnaps are actually the same as gingerbread cookie, just the no frills round shape. New Zealanders and the British call them Gingernuts.
Guinness World Records lists the largest gingerbread house was 2,520 square feet ‘edible-walled’ home that utilized 2,925 lbs of brown sugar, 1,800 lbs. of butter, 7,200 eggs and 7,200 lbs. of flour. The largest gingerbread village included 135 homes, 22 commercial buildings, cable cars and a train.
Making gingerbread houses in the weeks before Christmas is a tradition in my home. In the early years, I diligently worked with cookie cutters and molds.But, after many framing failures due to due to bubbles in the dough, and various wall thicknesses, I opted for the pre-made walls and roof a Wilton Gingerbread House Kit. If you are ready to create your own masterpiece, see this five-star gingerbread cookie recipe from food.com. For direction on constructing your home, see Arthur’s Flour’s blog on constructing a gingerbread home.
Trimming the gingerbread home is when it gets fun! Candies like M&M’s, Skittles, Starlight Mints, Candy Canes, Smarties, Gumdrops all create colorful architectural details. Put it over the top with this decorating list from Betty Crocker, which includes suggestions for shutters, shingles, walkways, doors, window frames, doors, stonework, trees, light poles, sleds, skis, and more! (Note: It’s helpful to separate the candies like an artist’s palette using muffin tins. Unwrap candies like Necco wafers and candy canes, so you don’t have to waste time doing this while you’re decorating.)
Inspiration is just a click away! See Martha Stewart’s Best Gingerbread Houses for some incredible ideas, as well as this blog by Shari’s Berries 31 Amazing Gingerbread Homes
