This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was possibly the most memorable of all the challenges I’ve done since joining in August last year. I was slightly terrified that we would be given something like the six-part, twelve-page Buche De Noel from last December’s, but I was pretty excited to find that we would be making Gingerbread Houses, just in time for Christmas. It is something I have always wanted to do, but my engineering and construction skills leave much to be desired. They always seemed far too difficult and time consuming. And while they were both of those things, I learned that patience and planning pay off and this was a fantastic and totally rewarding challenge.
I ended up making two houses, because originally I was planning a traditional looking snow-covered house, and an Australian themed outback house, but I was discouraged when I couldn’t find a kangaroo shaped cookie cutter. But I still kept the front verandah, as I’d planned. I decorated the first house with the help of my Dad (it’s definitely a two-person project). For the second house, I helped my Mum with putting it together, but she got creative with the lolly jar and decorated it mostly by herself, complete with garden balcony and stained-glass window. It was nice to get everyone involved, and these would be especially fun to make with young kids.
I used Anna’s recipe for gingerbread, which was a little dry at first but I added a little more water and rested it for quite a long time so I didn’t have many problems with pieces shrinking. It was delicious, and a great base to work from. My sister and I made our own templates, although the second one was based on this one from BBC Good Food. The Royal Icing recipe called for too much icing sugar, in my opinion so I added it slowly until I felt it was the right consistency – a little under 2 cups of icing sugar, not the 3 cups the recipe stated. I’m not going to post the recipes here, but you can find them on the Daring Kitchen site.
I used various sweets for decoration – different flavoured candy canes, sugared jubes, M&M’s, and TeeVee Snacks to create a log cabin look. The chimney on the first house was a Milky Way chocolate bar, and the doors on the second were Tim Tam biscuits. I have to admit though, demolishing the house was a little hard to do. I was pretty proud of my first gingerbread house attempts and I didn’t want to eat them. But that’s half the fun, isn’t it!
There were some absolutely incredible gingerbread houses made by other Daring Bakers this month, it’s amazing what you can do with a few simple ingredients and some imagination! The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.
26 Comments on “Daring Bakers: Gingerbread House”
Great job! Too bad you couldn't find any kangaroo cutters, as that would've really been the final flourish to your outback themed house 🙂
I've always wanted to try one of these. I don't htink I have the right tools or skills! ha!
Very nice!
Omg Lisa, your houses are amazing! The shapes of them are so perfect and they look so sweet. My fave would have to be the colours and the candy that you used 😀 Thanks also for the shoutout *blush*.
Wonderful gingerbread house Lisa. I especially liked that you used tim tams! I agree – a bit too beautiful to eat!
These are gorgeous – well done! Far more sophisticated than the house I made in year 10 cooking class… Which, I'm sorry to say, never got eaten because no one in my family would let me break it apart, and by the time they did – well, most of us preferred to keep our teeth.
Very pleased to hear that some people DO eat theirs!
Your house is so pretty with all the neat icicles lovingly piped from the porch =) Love how it was a family effort too!
Wow your ginger bread house looks fabulous!
Both of your houses are so great! I love the triangle shape of the second one and both had wonderful candy decorations. 🙂
Too cute..your hut looks awesome..
Gorgeous house Lisa! I was really looking forward to seeing yours after reading your tweet about it :)You did a fabulous job! I have PTSD too and was so scared that we'd get a Yule Log again. Even the thought of it puts me into a foetal position! 😛
Wow …. that more good work.
I've realized how hard it is to build houses
Simplemente espectacular….
So cool! Very nice and neat creations! love them both!
Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
So cute! I applaud you for doing two houses…. I barely had enough time for one!
Great houses! I love the shapes and how you decorated them =D. Fantastic job!
I'm amazed that you actually conjured up not one but 2 gingerbread houses. Both look fantastic.
Beautiful houses, Lisa! You really went above and beyond on this challenge!
very pretty house! Love those icicles off the roof 🙂
Your gingerbread houses are beautiful! I love the multi coloured candy sticks you used, so bright and cheery. Fantastic baking 🙂
All the best for 2010!
So fabulous, I didn't realise you made two! I love them both. And thank you for the shout out 🙂
Just came across your site via a link on Mark's.
I just love your gingerbread house – and those cute tim tam doors! 🙂
Both the houses look neat and sweet! 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous houses, so clean and beautiful..great photos too! Happy New Year!
It's so nice to be able to include your family. I had planned on that with the kids, but ran out of time, plus I stole the walls of their gingerbread house, cos' I had forgotten to make the roofs! 😛 Very adorable houses you have there! 🙂 Happy 2010!
Your gingerbread houses are beautiful! I love the multi coloured candy sticks you used!
Happy New Year! =)
i love your rainbow candy canes they make the house look like something you'd only find eating shrooms woop!
Lovely one..