From the pictures take a look and see what one is the gingerbread house I made, you can only get better!
The gingerbread house began in Germany in the 1800s going back to the tale of Hansel and Gretel. The witch’s house was built of bread, roofed with cakes, and the windows were transparent sugar. It became a tradition that was handed down thru the generations.
Now the houses can be made from graham crackers, pretzels, and lebkuchen (spiced honey biscuits).
Most are still made from the gingerbread cookie recipe:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
Mix and chill for an hour then cut out the shapes.
Preheat oven to 375 and bake for around 15 minutes.
For assemblage and decoration: Melted white chocolate or Royal Icing, recipe follows:
1 pound (3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 to 2 large egg whites, or substitute 4 teaspoons packaged egg whites and 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla or lemon juice
Gumdrops, licorice, and peppermint, as desired.