Hansel and Gretel's Christmas House

Hansel and Gretel's Christmas Gingerbread House

Get ready to bring the magic of Christmas into your kitchen with this captivating recipe for a gingerbread house inspired by the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel. This recipe will not only delight your taste buds but will also become a fun family activity, creating unforgettable memories.

Preparation time: 2 hours
Baking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Number of servings: 8

Ingredients for the gingerbread dough:
- 450 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 200 g molasses
- 150 g butter (room temperature)

Ingredients for decoration:
- 200 g icing (powdered sugar mixed with water)
- colorful candies, marshmallows, nuts, chocolate, etc.

Step by step:

1. Preparing the dough
In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt). Mix well to combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg and add the molasses and softened butter. Mix until you achieve a smooth consistency.

2. Forming the dough
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring constantly. Use a spatula or your hands to form a smooth dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

3. Chilling the dough
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This step is important for achieving a better texture and making it easier to shape.

4. Shaping the house
Preheat the oven to 180°C. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 5 mm thickness. Using a template (you can create one from cardboard), cut out the walls and roof of the house. Make sure you have two pieces for each side of the house.

5. Baking
Place the cut pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn slightly golden. Let them cool completely.

6. Assembling the house
Prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar with a few drops of water. Use the icing as 'glue' to assemble the walls and roof of the house. Apply icing to the edges, then hold each piece for a few seconds to set.

7. Decorating
Once the house is assembled, let the icing dry. Then, use candies, marshmallows, and chocolate to decorate the house, giving it a festive and attractive look. Let your imagination run wild!

Serving suggestions:
The gingerbread house can be a centerpiece on the Christmas table, but it can also be served as a delicious dessert at a holiday party. Offer tea or mulled wine alongside it to complete the festive atmosphere.

Possible variations:
To give the recipe a twist, try adding different flavors to the dough, such as vanilla or orange zest. You can also experiment with various types of decorations, such as white chocolate or candied fruits.

This recipe is not just about making a dessert but about creating unforgettable moments with loved ones. So gather your family, put on your aprons, and let your imagination soar!

In a small saucepan, place the honey, margarine, and sugar, and let it melt, stirring over low heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour everything into a bowl and let it cool. Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the honey mixture. Mix the flour with spices and baking powder. Add to the honey and egg mixture and knead. Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for two hours. Meanwhile, prepare the templates, preferably from cardboard: roll out dough sheets about 4 mm thick. Place the templates on top and cut out the shapes. Using your cookie cutters (hearts, stars), cut out as many pieces as you need for decoration and even a bit more. For long lines, use a pizza cutter, and for details, a pointed knife. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes. Decorating the gingerbread house: I worked with two types of brushes, one wider for loading and one finer for details. After glazing the shutters red, I placed an almond slice on each. I didn’t make all the glaze at once but worked in small batches. Whipped egg whites with sugar and lemon juice to achieve a thicker cream consistency. I bought the colors from a Wilton dedicated store. For the windows, after glazing with white and it dried, I added cocoa to the glaze to draw the window frames. EVERYTHING WAS STUCK WITH THE SAME GLAZE. For the little tree, I used green glaze in two shades, and I stuck the balls onto the wet glaze. Assembling the gingerbread house: The mortar used was made from powdered sugar and lemon juice. Due to baking, the dimensions of the assembly teeth deform and require adjustment with a knife or kitchen scissors. On the first day of assembly, the sugar cubes are glued on one side of the facades, then after proper fitting, they are loaded with glaze using a brush. For support, use solid scaffolding made from tall glasses, coffee boxes. One day before the final assembly, work on preparing the roof, which, after all the previous successive loads, becomes quite heavy and fragile. Handle it with great care to avoid cracking the white glaze. If it happens, repairs are made after complete assembly and also with the powdered sugar and lemon juice paste. Before placing the roof, the house is placed on the largest sheet of gingerbread and glued only from the inside. On the back of the roof, sugar cubes are glued in such a way that they are positioned exactly above those on the inside of the facades, thus the roof will be firmly supported. The fence is prepared using a ruler for accuracy. After drying, it is positioned on the edge of the ground, supported with toothpicks, and glued with the same sweet-sour glue. After gluing the little tree in the yard, which has the star supported with a toothpick stub, the edges of the house are brushed with glaze while it is fresh. It snows with coconut flakes that will stick everywhere as you like, the chimney, the bricks on top of the house, the edges of the fence. Enjoy your meal! The recipe for Hansel and Gretel's Gingerbread House was proposed by Gabi Cara on the recipe forum.

 Ingredients: For the gingerbread: 1125g of honey, 375g of margarine, 375g of sugar, 1900g of flour, 5 teaspoons of cinnamon, 3 teaspoons of ground cloves, 4 eggs, 2 packets of baking powder. INGREDIENTS FOR DECORATION AND ASSEMBLY: about 500g of powdered sugar, 3 egg whites, lemon juice, cube sugar, food coloring in red, yellow, dark green, light green, 1-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, 8 whole almonds, sliced almonds, pistachios, colored decorations, silver sugar beads, 200g of coconut flakes, candied cherries.

 Tags:  christmas recipes gingerbread recipe gingerbread house