The Thousands

I’ve always made Christmas presents. Mostly because I’m always broke but also because I hate shopping. This year (to save me from tears) I’m making gingerbread houses. Gingerbread houses have been around for ages as a European winter treat, sold at Christmas markets across Germany and built into amazing gingerbread cities in Norway.

Those beautiful Norwegian houses are made out of a boiled and baked dough and can’t really be eaten, so don’t be intimidated by Nordic sculptural prowess. A good (edible) gingerbread house is easy to make with a little patience, strong icing and lots of decorations. Make a small house if it’s your first – Norway can wait for next year.

To make a gingerbread house you will need:

- A good gingerbread biscuit recipe and ingredients
- Skewers string and cardboard for structural support
- Decorations. Glace cherries, mini M&M’s, nuts, food dye, chocolate, sprinkles, liquorice allsorts, pretzels (anything edible, little and cute will work)
- A nice flat plate to put it on (a square of cardboard covered in wrapping paper works nice  too)
- Zen-like patience 

Step 1:
Choose a good gingerbread biscuit recipe.

Step 2:
Follow the instructions until you’re rolling out the biscuit dough.

Step 3:
Cut out four side walls, all the same height. You might want to plan your house’s parts, but copying the sides of a plastic container works well too. For a cute roof, cut strips of rolled dough to the length of your longest walls. Cut one side of your strip into a wide zig zag, like Bart Simpson’s hair, and make about six strips. Bake all these parts following the baking time in your recipe. Leave to cool.

Step 4:
Make a thick royal icing for cement. A strong mix is 2 cups of icing sugar with one egg white. Flavour your royal icing with a drop of vanilla, cinnamon or some lemon.

Step 5:
Start your construction by gluing the side walls together, place lots of royal icing in each join and string the four walls together while the icing sets hard.  Cover the outside icing with decorations

Step 6:
Layer your roof together with the zig zag sides exposed.

Step 7 (inevitable):
If any part of your house breaks, glue it together with royal icing, cover it in extra icing and cover it in decorations. If the part is still weak plant some skewers in royal icing and place these along the inside of the house. Warn anyone who tries to eat the house about the skewers.

Step 8:
Glue on your roof. This is the hardest part! Support the roof by placing some cardboard or skewer supports inside the house while the icing sets. Allow your roof to set for at least half an hour. Add any extra decorations you want by gluing them on with the icing.

Step 9:
Call in the demolition squad, or give it to someone you fancy!