Cotton Rose: Gingerbread magic

Even before The Girl came along, I'd make a gingerbread house each year.
For me, Christmas doesn't properly start until I've made one, and it's sitting on the windowsill in the living room, next to the Christmas tree. It was a little tradition I started for myself, and now I make sure I continue it so that The Girl will have it as a strong festive memory.

I've used a few different recipes for the gingerbread biscuit, but I always go back to one that works best for me. Ginger spice biscuits. The recipe is [here]

I had run out of cake bases, but the supermarket had none left. I improvised. I used a slab of gingerbread to work as the base.

This worked out really well, I'd even go as far to say it was better. I was able to make sure it fitted the windowsill perfectly.

I never know what to do with the roof. Sometimes I just tickle icing down to look like snow!

This isn't the only house I've made this year. Oh no. The Girl wants two of her friends to come round and have a Gingerbread House Decorating Party! I made three smaller houses earlier in the week. I created my own template for small houses last year. So easy to do.
Now they are dried out, and ready to be covered in a million sweeties!

I used to hold all the sides up with tins of beans or teacups, that was until I had a better idea. Now I tie the outside of the house with ribbon to hold the pieces together, and another piece of ribbon sits under the base of the cake board (or gingerbread base), pulls up,and ties over the roof. This holds everything in place perfectly until it dries. My Top Tip for you!

To make grass, just mix caster sugar with food colouring and enough water to help hold it together. Sit it around your house and leave it to dry It will set hard. Then pour over some icing to look like snow.

I had some dough left over, so I made a few little people with it.