How to: make a gingerbread house

Making a gingerbread house is a great way to get into the Christmas period. If there are kids in the house, they’re guaranteed to love decorating.

You’ll need the following cardboard cut-outs:

• Two 13cm x 19cm rectangles (roof)
• Two 11.5cm x 16cm rectangles (side walls)
• Two 16cm x 19cm rectangles (front and back) – each trimmed at one short end form two 10cm high gables.

Gingerbread house recipe

Makes 1 house

440g self-raising flour
125g plain flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
200 brown sugar
185g cold butter, cubed
120g golden syrup
2 eggs, beaten
25g icing sugar

For the icing:
2 egg whites
300g icing sugar, sifted

1. Combine flours, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until the it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Whisk the golden syrup and eggs in a small bowl. With the motor running, add this egg mixture and pulse just until it comes together as a dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cut the dough in half and wrap each half in cling film. Refrigerate for at least four hours.
4. Roll each dough half out until it is about ½cm thick. Using the cardboard cutouts as a guide, cut shapes from the dough using a sharp knife.
5. Place the cut-outs in a single layer onto baking trays lined with parchment paper and freeze for about 15 minutes until firm.
6. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas mark 4 and bake the trays for 15 minutes. Use the cut-outs to re-trim the baked gingerbread when slightly cooled.
7. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites for the icing until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the icing sugar until stiff.
8. Transfer the icing into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a small corner snipped off) and use it to seal the sides of the house together carefully.
9. Pipe some of the icing mixture onto the outline of the roof.
10. Place the roof pieces on top, and use jars or tins of food to support the walls and roof until they set.
11. Once the house has completely set, use more of the icing to draw windows and doors and for attaching sweets.

Per Serving 495kcals, 13.8g fat (8.2g saturated), 87.8g carbs, 45.6g sugars, 6.6g protein, 1.5g fibre, 0.126g sodium