Christmas Gingerbread House

Name: Christmas Gingerbread House
Ingredients: 475 g plain flour; 4 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 190 g butter; 230 g light brown sugar; 1 free-range egg yolk; 4 tbsp golden syrup; 3 tbsp black treacle; 500 g royal icing mix; assorted sweets

It's the perfect time to get festive with a Christmas gingerbread house. Not only will you have fun building it, but demolishing and eating it too!

It's the perfect time to get festive with a Christmas gingerbread house

A fun activity for kids and adults alike, model yourself a Christmas gingerbread house. Not only will you have fun building it, but demolishing and eating it is good fun too! There's a stencil guide below to assist... Tip: If you have any dough leftover, make some gingerbread people or biscuits to set around the house.

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Ingredients

For the gingerbread

475 g plain flour
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
190 g butter
230 g light brown sugar
1 free-range egg yolk
4 tbsp golden syrup
3 tbsp black treacle

To decorate

500 g royal icing mix
assorted sweets

Instructions

Sieve the flour, ginger, cinnamon, sugar and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, then rub in the butter until you have a texture like fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the egg yolk, golden syrup and black treacle. Mix together to form a soft dough and gather together with your hands. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, make your house templates ready for use and preheat your oven to 180 ̊C/Gas Mark 4.

Take half the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of approx 4mm (1⁄4in). Trace and place the templates on top of the dough and cut around them to make half of the house panels. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place the cut panels onto greased baking trays lined with non-stick paper, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges start to brown. The panels will still feel soft, but they firm up quickly as they cool. If the panels have spread, just trim them using the templates while they are still warm, then allow to cool completely.

Make the royal icing according to the instructions on the packet. Assemble the walls of the house, sticking them onto the cake board. You may need some extra hands or tins to help you support the structure as you build. Once the walls have set a little, add the roof and allow to set completely, before decorating the house with the sweets.