Instructions

1. Download the gingerbread template , print onto thin cardboard and cut out. Set aside for once you have made the dough.
2. Cream the sugar and butter together until light and creamy
3. Add the egg and syrup and beat until well combined.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
5. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C
7. Once chilled for 30 minutes, roll out the dough to approx 1/2 cm thick (no thinner though).
8. Lightly flour the surface and start cutting out the templates.
9. You will have to roll and cut and roll and cut. The dough goes a long way.
10. Transfer the shapes to a baking tray that is lined with wax wrap and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.
11. Whilst the gingerbread is cooling, you can start to make the sugar glue that will be used to assemble your house.

1. Place the caster sugar in a medium sized pan on medium heat and allow to melt. Do not stir. The sugar will melt into a sugar syrup. This may take 10-20 minutes depending on your stove. Just be patient if it takes time.
2. Once the sugar has turned into a beautiful golden syrup, assemble the gingerbread house walls onto the base you wish to glue it to. We used a tinfoil covered board that you get from a baking shop but you could use a plate instead.
3. Add a blob of glue to the base board (ie the tinfoil board) and stick one of the end / gable walls down.
4. Now, take one of the side walls and dip its shortest edge into the glue to coat it. Working quickly, stick that edge to the gable end piece that you just stuck down to the base.
5. Repeat with the opposite side wall.
6. Stick the remaining Gable end on by applying glue to the sides and then sticking to the two side wall edges.
7. Add the roof pieces by first using a spoon to drip glue along the gable edges, then add the roof pieces. Press them in place – hold firmly just not too firmly! 🙂
8. Stick the door piece in place.
9. Stick the chimney pieces together and then stick the chimney to the roof. It may look a little skew, but hay, we are all about being perfectly imperfect!
10. Tadaaaa! House done! Now mix the Royal Icing for decorating.

1. Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy.
2. Add the icing sugar, lemon juice and boiling water and mix until well combined
3. Place in a piping bag with a number 3 plain round nozzle – it’s tiny!

1. With a small spatula, scoop some icing out the piping bag and smear across one roof piece. Using cut up marshmallows  (cut approx 1cm wide or into thirds – use scissors its way easier than a knife) stick the marshmallows to the icing as roof tiles. We used about 42 marshmallow pieces per side (so 14 whole marshmallows per side, cut up).
2. Using a sieve, dust a little icing sugar over the marshmallows (Fresh snow!!)
3. Again, scoop a little icing out the piping bag and lather on the “ground” outside the house – we want it to look like snow!
4. Now the fun part – there is no right or wrong way to do this so feel free to get creative! Create patterns as you wish on each side of the house using the piping bag. Perhaps draw your designs first or think about what you would like to add or just copy what we have done!
5. For the gable ends, use a spatula to smear on some icing and then add the Jelly Tots (or smarties or jelly beans, whatever you like really!)
6. Use any extra icing to cover up gaps that you want covered.
7. Finish off by icing your Gingerbread man, and placing him and the candy canes around the house.
8. Tadaaaaaa! Your house is done.