Gingerbread Time of Year!

Cottage by the Sea

This year’s gingerbread house competition subject was “Cottage/Camp”.  I decided to recreate the first beach house that I stayed in.  Of course it doesn’t look exactly like the real one, but it’s close and I love it.  It’s not very Christmas-y but it has a bit of charm.

I sketched the house first, then figured out how I needed to lay it out and how big it could be to pack the most pow and also, to be sturdy enough to withstand driving it from point A to point B.  One I figured it out I had my boyfriend secure a base, cut it to size and drill a hole in the bottom so I could snake a light up through.

I made my gingerbread from a recipe that I’ve used for a couple years now.  It makes a good strong cookie.  I got the recipe from a gingerbread house workshop I attended.  If you are at all leary about building your own house, but you want to do it, I suggest an afternoon (or morning!) workshop.  Check your local Chamber of Commerce to see if there is one.  If not, suggest they schedule one.  Someone in your community is an expert.

I cut out the windows and doors and used Jolly ranchers (hammered in a plastic bag) the last four minutes of baking time to create a colorful façade.  I set the house up a little bit higher than level using a pan of rice crispy treats.  I made them without butter so they would be harder and hold the weight of the house.  I covered the sides of the house before I put them up – because it’s easier to do siding that way.  Then I ran the knife across it to look like wood planks.

The sand is ground up rice crispies and brown sugar stuck to icing.  The ocean is hard candy.  I pulled it out of the cookie sheet just before it was totally cooled.  It gave it a look of movement – which was totally unexpected, but totally welcomed!

I hope you like it!  Comments & questions are always welcomed – and encouraged.  Remember – it’s not too late to make your own gingerbread house!