How to Build a Gingerbread House With a Game

Using icing as glue makes the entire house edible.

When decorating a gingerbread house you can get as creative as you want with decor and incorporate your own personal twists. For the actual house, you can buy a prepackaged kit or bake your own. Buying a prepackaged kit is ideal for the novice, as measuring, assembling and icing the house together can be challenging. For a seasoned baker, shaping and measuring your gingerbread house is an easy activity. Of course, when purchasing a prepackaged kit, you do not ever need to use the candy and design that is suggested; coming up with your own is always an option. Incorporating your own game is a way of getting additional usage from your decorative house.

Things You'll Need

• Gingerbread house kit or homemade gingerbread shapes for a house
• Cake icing for gluing house together
• Candy (for decor, your choice)
• Icing sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Piping bag for icing
• Tips for icing
• Icing pen (available at craft stores and cake bakeries)
• Ruler
• Sturdy cardboard, at least 3 feet in length

Instructions

1. Assemble your gingerbread house on a piece of sturdy cardboard. Use icing as the glue that keeps the pieces together. If you are using a prepackaged kit, follow the instructions on the package until the end of the segment on assembling the house. If you are measuring and shaping your house from your own gingerbread pieces, again use icing as the method of holding it together. Use a ruler and ensure all sides are even.

2. Incorporate your game into the house. The gingerbread house should be free of any ornament, candy decoration or other adornment at this point; all you should see is a plain assembled house of your chosen shape. There are a variety of options for adding a game to the house through its external decoration. You can add a game of tic-tac-toe to the roof of the house by using an icing pen or a finely piped bag of icing. You can use candy hearts or other candy as the x and o pieces.

3. Add a second game of tic-tac-toe to the house by placing it on the other side of the roof. This provides two opportunities for game playing on your customized gingerbread house. Now you can add decoration to the sides of your house by drawing windows and doors with your icing pen. Fill in the figures with gel icing. Use coordinating colors for an attractive house. Trim the house with candy and other adornments of your choosing.

4. Add a second game to the house by incorporating a game of chutes and ladders in the fake driveway of the house. You can create a fake driveway by adding green food coloring to the white icing and brushing it on the cardboard in front of the house. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for the effect of snow. In the icing draw your game of chutes and ladders with an icing pen. Use candy as game pieces.

References

• "Making Gingerbread Houses: Dozens of Delectable Designs and Ideas"; Veronika Alice Grunter; 2004