Lift up the edge of a disc and slip the end of a strip of dough under it. Peel away the excess dough and re-roll the trimmings between fresh parchment to cut more discs. For each bauble you need to cut a 1.5 x 2cm strip of dough as well (it’s easiest to cut these from one long 2cm-wide piece of dough. Using the round cutters – either just one size or a variety – cut out discs. If you think the dough is very sticky, lightly dust it and the parchment with a little flour. Split the dough in half and roll out each piece between two sheets of baking parchment to the thickness of a £1 coin. Remove the dough from the fridge 15-30 minutes before rolling so it can soften slightly.
Chill for several hours, preferably overnight, to firm up – this makes the dough easier to roll out. Put the dough into a food bag, or wrap in cling film. Sift over the flour and then the spices, one at a time, mixing gently after each addition, to make a soft dough. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and leave to cool for about 5 minutes before beating in the egg. Set it over a medium heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugars have dissolved. Just arrange them on some icing for a mosaic effect.Put both types of sugar, the golden syrup and the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. The candy canes on the eaves and roofline add alot of color as well keep the house stuck together.īroken Necco wafers are still usable. Like the almonds, layout takes a while, but the result is worth it. They are pretty and make sturdy shingles. Necco wafers are the classic gingerbread house roofing material. The grassy knoll below is made of shrek swamp colored mini m&ms… Mike & Ikes, along with jelly lifesavers make a simple and colorful roof.Ī “stone” wall is made of chocolate covered raisins. This little snowman is made entirely out of fondant. Baby goldfish crackers are just the right size for this little pond. Sliced almonds make and attractive roof but take a darn long time to lay out.Ī little pond can be made by spreading icing on the base and dusting with blue sanding sugar. See how the candy canes hide the seams from when we put the house together? Also mini M&M’s work great as faux Christmas lights. On this roof we used licorice and candy canes. Black Crows were used to anchor the bridge. I made a bridge by curving licorice and laying down pieces of pretzel down for planks. It is nice and soft like snow and gifts alot of depth to the window. On this house we used marshmallows around the window. In the next sequence of pictures I will show you what we used, so that you can get a better idea of what candy works best for your decor. Beware, these are not the sturdiest of contraptions, so don’t squeeze the bag too hard! If you don’t have either of these just use a ziploc bag and cut the tip off one corner. These can be put into parchment cones or bag with piping tips. Now that your houses have dried overnight, they are ready to take on the heavy decorating! Start by making a new batch of royal icing. You’d be surprised at how creative you can get with candy. Decorating gingerbread houses is the best part.