Holiday Place Gingerbread House Design
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Tools and Ingredients:
- Pre-baked and fully assembled gingerbread house kit (includes: Pre-baked, pre-assembled gingerbread house, white icing mix, mini fruit-flavored candies, fruit jelly rounds, mini spice drops, decorating bag and tip, and complete decorating instructions)
- Mixer and bowl
- Small angled spatula or butter knife
- Scissors and paring knife
- Confectioner’s sugar
Step 1 – Make the Icing
Ideal for decorating your house, decorating icing dries hard and lasts for weeks without softening.
In a mixing bowl, combine contents of icing packet with 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons warm water. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until thick and smooth. Icing will not be fluffy, but will be the consistency of toothpaste. If icing is too thick, add additional water 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add additional confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Icing sets quickly, so keep bowl covered with a damp cloth at all times to prevent drying. When bag and tip are not in use, cover tip with damp cloth or place in sealed plastic bag.
Step 2 - Prepare the decorating bag
- Assemble bag and decorating tip.
Cut about 3/4 in. off pointed end of decorating bag with pair of scissors. Drop the decorating tip into the bag so 1/2 in. of the tip is exposed. If necessary, trim bag a little at a time until tip fits correctly.
- Fill bag with icing.
Cuff open end of bag over your hand. Using a spatula, fill bag with no more than 1/2 cup of icing. To close, unfold cuff and twist top of bag shut. Note: It’s important to lightly twist the top of the bag, so icing does not come out of the top while decorating. You can also secure twisted top of bag with a twist tie.
- How to use the bag to decorate.
To hold bag correctly while decorating, curl fingers around the bag with the twist between your thumb and index finger. This forces the icing down into the tip each time you squeeze. Apply even pressure with all four fingers; the icing will come out of the tip until you stop squeezing. As you decorate, periodically twist the bag to force the icing down into the tip. Use fingers of the other hand to guide the tip as you decorate. When the bag is empty, simply untwist and refill bag.
Step 3 – Decorating Techniques
Decorating With Candy
Achieve different effects by turning the candy included in this kit into different shapes!
Mini Spice Drops and Fruit Jelly Rounds: Slice in half horizontally to create two round pieces. Fruit Jelly Rounds can also be sliced in half vertically to create two half moon pieces. Use cut side down. Attach to house with dots of icing.
Hint: Jelly Rounds and Mini Spice Drops can be cut using a paring knife or scissors. Carefully wipe blades with damp cloth if candy sticks.
To Make Icicles:
Hold bag perpendicular to roof edge and peak. With heavy to light pressure, pipe from top to bottom easing pressure and drawing icing to a point.
DECORATE THE HOLIDAY PLACE GINGERBREAD HOUSE!
- Divide prepared decorating icing in half, use half for decorating house now, the other half for adding “snow” around house later (keep remaining half covered with a damp cloth).
- Fill decorating bag with 1/2 cup icing.
- Outline door and fill in with zigzags (pat smooth with fingertip dipped in cornstarch). Decorate around door and doorknob with mini fruit-flavored candy. Add fruit jelly round as door window.
- Outline windows and decorate with lattice. Decorate above windows with mini fruit-flavored candy. Cut mini spice drops in half horizontally and attach to window ledge.
- Attach fruit jelly round and mini fruit-flavored candies to front of house under roof peak.
- Decorate house corners with zigzags.
- Decorate roof with lattice. Attach mini fruit-flavored candy at lattice points. Decorate a line of icing on roof peak and attach fruit jelly rounds. Decorate roof edges with icicles, cut fruit jelly rounds in half vertically and attach to roof eaves.
- Ice snow on base fluffy. Attach mini spice drops around house.
For more gingerbread house ideas visit www.wilton.com.