Yes, it is July but why should that stop us making a gingerbread house?
Our completed Gingerbread House!
I actually have had this kit for a while as we just didn’t get time to try it before Christmas and it seemed like a good way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon with my children. I have to say that the icing was a little stiff and difficult to manipulate but I am assuming it is because the kit was sitting around for so long.
Although there has been some debate about whether the house can be eaten now or if it must wait until Christmas Day… Do you have a tradition about when to eat gingerbread houses?
Gingerbread house kit
I know you can make a house from scratch, and there are dough cutter sets in appropriate shapes, but we used a kit this time to keep it fun and simple – and to learn some techniques!
This kit had everything we needed except for a tray to work on and scissors to cut the bags open, so it is definitely quick and easy to get going on the house.
The gingerbread house kit we used.
Decorating the house
Most of the decorating happens before putting the actual house together. This is much easier as the pieces can lie flat on a tray or board as you work – and are much easier for little fingers to access.
In some instances, the kids tried to mimic the instructions exactly, and then other bits they were more creative over (like adding a back door on a side panel).
The kids loved decorating the house…
Constructing the gingerbread house
I did most of the work constructing the house as it takes a little coordination and patience to hold the pieces in place as the icing dries enough to hold them together. Having said that, only adding the roof was particularly tricky and it didn’t take very long to constructs our Christmas Gingerbread House 🙂
Constructing the house didn’t take long…
Once the house was standing, some additional lollies and candy canes were arranged as well.
The results…
We ended up with a cute Christmas house which the kids were very proud of. They also enjoyed the consumption of the house over time, too!
In the packet, the amount of icing and lollies provided looked pretty good. But I think there were too many lollies for the size of the house in the end. Once the candy canes and other large lollies were added, it seemed a bit overdone to my eye.
The back wall was decorated simply.
Other gingerbread house ideas
If you like the look of a gingerbread house or want to make one without feeling you have to eat them all, here are some other gingerbread house ideas to try:
- bake a gingerbread shaped house and decorate it instead (quicker and a great alternative for those not keen on gingerbread!)
- Read some stories based on gingerbread houses
- build a Lego gingerbread house (it’s a lot less fattening, doesn’t get stale and can be reused over and over!)
- make some mini gingerbread houses to decorate mugs or plates
- do a cross stitch and hang on a wall – or give it as a gift – or even cross stitch a 3D gingerbread house!
