Building a Gingerbread House in time for Christmas!

Nothing makes a more impressive centerpiece during the holidays than a homemade gingerbread house, and they are not as difficult to make as they might appear. It is also a great way to get your children involved in the holiday festivities. You can put the basic frame structure together and watch the kids have a ball decorating with their favorite candies.
Gingerbread House Instructions
The construction of your gingerbread house will closely follow the building concepts of a real house. Proper planning is essential. You can make the gingerbread ahead of time, making sure to let it thoroughly cool in a dry area before wrapping securely to store. Be sure to allow plenty of time to put the pieces together.

The recipes can be used for not only a gingerbread house with icing, but also gingerbread cookies. Here are a few simple tips:

• Cut the basic structure templates for your house from posterboard and test first by taping the pieces together. If it will stand as made out of posterboard, then most likely it will be structurally safe for your gingerbread house.

• Do not limit yourself to a plain box house. You can make virtually any shape, from igloo to Victorian to farmhouse. Or, use a loaf mold in the shape of a house to eliminate the construction steps.

• Prepare a base for your house. Use a piece of plywood covered with foil, a large heavy platter or baking tray. You will want to be able to move the entire structure easily. You can use a sheet of gingerbread on top of the base if you wish, but it is not necessary.

• Keep in mind that the dimensions of your gingerbread house will be restricted to the size of a 12-by 15-inch baking sheet, and cut your templates accordingly.

• Maximum thickness for dough should be 3/8-inch. For houses larger than 6 inches square, use 1/4-inch thickness and for smaller houses, use 1/8-inch. Weight-bearing walls should be just slightly thicker.

• If you want the walls covered in icing, you may need to thin the icing with a few drops of water and then spread gently on the sides before assembling. Let sit for the icing to dry.

• When assembling, apply the "glue" icing using a pastry bag, and let sit for 30 minutes to set before actually assembling. This will help the pieces adhere better, resulting in a more stable structure.

• When assembling, apply a generous (but not dripping) amount of icing glue to one side of the joint. Press un-iced piece to the iced edge and hold briefly until the icing sets. If you want more stability, you can also icing-glue the walls to the base.

• For the icing decoration, use a pastry bag with various decorating tips or a knife. You can easily fill in gaps and smooth construction errors with icing and candy decorations. Wipe off smudges or drips with a clean, damp paper towel.

• To apply candy decorations, dab a small amount of icing to the underside of the candy and hold in place until set.

• You can use dough scraps to roll out added decorative cut-outs to be applied with icing glue. These cutouts can be impressed with designs before baking.

• If you do not have time to do the baking, you can use cardboard or graham crackers and still show off your decorating skills.
I found the most amazing webpage for the construction of the gingerbread houses, everything from a one room to a victorianl. Please check it out before you start and get the blue print of what house you want to make.
http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/recipes/gingerbread-house.shtml
Almost Buttercream Frosting
(Edible for Gingerbread Houses)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup white shortening
3-1/2 cups powered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (use clear vanilla to avoid discoloring frosting)
1/4 teaspoon almond or coconut extract
3-4 tablespoons milk or hot water
Food color (optional)

Directions:

Beat shortening and flavoring for about one minute, then slowly add half of the sugar, mixing in well. Add half of the milk or water and mix well. Gradually beat in the rest of the sugar and just enough milk or water to reach the desired consistency, whether for piping or spreading. Stir in food coloring.


Gingerbread recipe (See my post on Gingerbread Cookies)

Ideas for items you can use to decorate are endless!
Bread Sticks
Logs, rafters and beams
Candycanes
Pillars, beams, fence posts. light posts
M&M Candies
Tree decorations, Christmas lights
Cheerio Cereal
Chains, tiles, small wheels, flat types for shingles
Fruit Loops Cereal
Christmas chains
Chocolate Candy Bars
Doors, shutters, shingles
Cinnamon Candies
Red roofing tiles, paving stones, flowers
Hershey Candy Kisses wrapped in foil
Church bell, roof decorations
Candy Flowers Cake Decorations
Garden flowers
White Frosting & Icing
Snow, flowers
Colored Frosting & Icing
Mortar, siding, flowers
Fruit Leathers
Window shades, fabric
Gumdrops
Bushes, flowers, ornaments
Hard Christmas Candies
Melted for stained glass windows, mirrors, ponds
Hard christmas candies
Crushed for colored gravel
Ice Cream Cones
Trees
Licorice
Railings, edgings, exposed beams, fireplace bricks
Licorice Ropes
Rope, edging, window pane dividers
Lollipops
Road signs, people, trees, bushes
Marshmallows
Snowballs for snow forts, snowmen
Marzipan or Fondant
Use to make any shapes you want
Nuts, Whole
Stones
Nuts, Slivered Almonds
Shingles
Powdered Sugar
Light dusting for snow or frost
Brown Sugar
Dirt walkways, garden beds
Pretzels
Fancy ironwork fences, scrollwork
Pretzel Sticks
Logs, winter trees, firewood
Rock Candy
Rocks, stepping stones, stone walls
Round Crackers or Cookies
Wagon wheels, doors, picnic table tops
Shredded Wheat Cereal
Roof thatching, hay
Silver Dragees for Cake Decorations
Doorknobs, ornaments
Colored Sprinkles
Flowers, Christmas lights, ornaments
Wafer Cookies, Crackers or Candies
Roof shingles, siding
Graham Crackers
Roof shingles, siding
Necco wafers
Roof
I am sure you can think of things that are not listed here.