How to Make a Graham Cracker Gingerbread House

Want to make an easy "gingerbread" house without the fuss of making gingerbread? This eHow is for you!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• half gallon milk carton
• scissors
• tape
• graham crackers
• frosting, homemade or store-bought
• candy to decorate the house

1. Decide how tall you would like your house to be. Measure down from the top of the milk carton and cut off the bottom. Your house will have no floor, essentially. Tape the top of the milk carton closed.

2. Find a good base for the house. I cut a square of sturdy cardboard, bigger than the house base so I could decorate the "lawn" as well. I wrapped the cardboard base in tinfoil. Adhere the milk carton to the base with tape, trying not to let the tape show.

3. Using frosting as glue, attach graham crackers to the sides of the carton for your walls. Then attach two graham crackers to the slopes of the roof made by the milk carton top. You now have your basic house!

4. Decorate as desired! Experiment with various candy, including candy canes, m&m's, red hots, gumdrops, etc. A lifesaver candy makes a nice wreath on a "front door!" Around Christmas, stores sell novelty candies that are very useful, including marshmallow trees and snowmen. Coconut makes nice snow!

Tips & Warnings

• This is a fun project to do with children! I have hosted several get-togethers with friends and their kids. The children eat and decorate, and eat their decorations. ;)
• It works well to have a frosting bag with various tips, but you can also use a zip-lock sandwich bag and cut the corner off to squeeze out frosting.
• Add food coloring to some frosting to pipe windows or doors on your house.
• It doesn't have to turn out perfectly! Kids remember how much fun (and tasty) it was to create, not whether or not the windows lined up with each other.

[Devero]

on 12/30/2008 Great gingerbread tips.

[Addonis]

on 12/17/2008 I am so hungry. great work 5 *

[jimdris]

on 12/10/2008 Very nice article, and wonderful tips!

[SizeMattersNOT]

on 12/10/2008 Awesome article! I used to do this in elementary school.

[sunshine11219]

on 12/8/2008 good article