Category Archives: How To

1. Martha says, “In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.”  I never do this step.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Beat in eggs and molasses.
3. Add flour one cup at a time; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.  Wrap in plastic or place in a covered bowl or pan. Chill for at least 1 hour.  You can freeze the dough at this point for future use.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface (lots of flour will be needed), roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, or using template instructions, if desired. Keep your knife clean so it will not tug on the shape. Place dough shapes on parchment covered baking sheets (ungreased); chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake 15 minutes, or until gingerbread is firm in the center, but not dark around the edges.
5. Be sure you do not roll them too thin.  This will produce hard and brittle pieces that are not pliable enough to easily conform to your pattern.  They also will not have the surface area needed around the sides to grip the icing.
   

   Martha’s template

   We also created a small short cardboard box for the inside.  It was about  inch high. We glued the sides onto it with icing and then piped the corners together. Tip: Do not make boxes ahead of time because each box will need to fit the unique size of your house.  Each piece of gingerbread is not exactly the same.
   This size house fits nicely on a 10 inch cardboard cake circle, which can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. Place the house off-center to provide space for a front yard and path.

Wilton’s Royal Icing That Dries Hard

Ingredients

First attach the pieces with icing and then go back over it to smooth out the imperfections and add a little cuteness.

3 Tbsp Meringue Powder  (A 4oz can makes three recipes of icing.)
1 lb Powdered Sugar
6 Tbsp Water for construction or 7 Tbsp Water for decoration

Method

In a mixer combine the three ingredients saving the last tablespoon of water to the side.  When the icing comes together, add the last tablespoon of water.  Beat on low for 10 minutes, scraping down the sides once or twice.  Transfer to decorating bags immediately and cover/close bag.  Keep icing moist by covering any exposed icing with a damp towel. Yield 3 cups.

We used one recipe to construct five houses using the template.  We provided a bag of icing for each participant with a little over 1 cup in each bag.  However, 1 cup would be enough. Just make a few extra bags to use if needed.

We like Wilton’s disposable 12 inch bags and cut the tip when the children were ready to decorate.  This kept the icing moist. Use a tall glass to help fill the bags.  Place the bag in the glass, tip down, then pull the sides over around the edge. Spoon in icing, remove from glass, and press out bubbles.  Tie off ends with a tight rubber band.  Any air exposure will quickly harden the icing. The recipe can be doubled and will just fit in my KitchenAid mixer bowl. Tip:Buy the meringue powder and decorating bags at a craft store with a 40% or 50% off coupon.

The Gingerbread Architect’s Green Rice Krispie Trees, Bushes, or Wreaths

Three recipes made 16 trees.

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
20 regular marshmallows (or 2 cups mini marshmallows)
Green food coloring
3 cups Rice Krispies

Method

In a large saucepan, combine shortening and marshmallows.  Cook on low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Stir in food coloring drop by drop until you reach the color you desire.  (We used the color paste.)  Stir in Rice Krispies until well coated. Use mixture immediately.  Drop onto parchment paper and shape into cone trees, square hedges, or circular wreaths. Roll in sugared glitter if desired. This recipe makes 3 1/2 cups and can easily be doubled.  It does not produce sticky trees like the traditional treat recipe would.  These do not stick to your hands when shaping and dry hard to the touch.  Decorate with sugar candies.

Candy Decoration Ideas

Each child was given a baggie of treats to begin the decorating process.  We started off creating things as a group and then released the kids to gather items from the candy buffet in clear plastic cups to create their own decorations.  We provided an example house, example ideas on a piece of cardboard, and printouts from websites for inspiration.

Included in the Baggie

• 2 small candy canes for the door (Participant had to break to size.)
• 4 square pretzels for windows
• apple ring for wreath
• 2 green gumdrops for a bush
• large gumdrop and lollipop for lamp post
• 3 goldfish crackers for pond (We came around to sprinkle blue sugar over the icing.)
• 1 small gingerbread man and 1 small gingerbread teddybear
• 1 gumdrop peppermint man already assembled
• We walked around with the tray of Christmas trees and let the child choose one.

Candy Buffet 

Bridge

Sample ideas on cardboard

Gingerbread Aprons

We tied each apron to the backs of the chairs.

You’ll Need:

Child-size aprons in red, black or white.
One roll of Christmas ric rac
2 Gingerbread Men buttons per apron (Pack comes with 10.)

Instructions:

Cut ric rac to fit across the apron leaving a little to fold around the sides and onto the back side of the apron.  Pin and sew on the machine to attach.  Fabric glue did not work well in this case because the ric rac was too textured. Even the parts that stuck, later came unglued with wear.  After two attempts at gluing, the sewing method proved to be much faster and more likely to hold up to washing.  Sew buttons by hand to attach.

We put gingerbread men on the boy’s aprons and gingerbread women on the girl’s. If time allows, you can personalize the apron with the child’s name.

Embellish Aprons with Ric Rac and Gingerbread Men Buttons

This ric rac and button embellishment was both cute and cost effective. It also was not too girly for the male participates. All items can be found at Hobby Lobby.