Gingerbread Houses- Two questions

[joymaker]

Hi All,

Anything else I could stick the gingerbread house together with apart from royal icing (can't stand the stuff)?

Might stick some marshmellows on and the odd Allsort but don't wan't to add much 'penny sweet' crap as my DS is only 2yr8m and eaten chocolate only in terms of sweets. What else could I decorate it with? suitable treat ideas would be welcome.

Thanks

[whateveritakes]

In my opinion those Gingerbread houses are purely an activity and something to look at. They are so fiddled around with by the end of it that I wouldn't want to eat it.
The sides need nerves of steel with really firm icing...have no idea about suitable substitutes that set well apart... from porridge perhaps!

You could do berry type fruit set with sugary fruit puree instead of sweets?

TBH the sweets were the best bit of these kits. I'd buy lots of allsorts, and jelly tots and we'd maybe save a couple for the house!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Have you bought/baked the house already?
Lakeland Limited do a silicone mould that you can use to make a chocolate house.
I once made a gingerbread house.It was a load of hassel.It didn't get eaten.
And the gingerbread goes soft.

[Tobagostreet]

If its a kit (like the ones Ikea or Lidl sell) the gingerbread will be brittle like a crunchy biscuit - this makes it suitable for constructing using melted sugar. Just heat granulated sugar in a pan till completely melted - boil for a few minutes to make a caramel - then dip in the edges and assemble.

[sausagesandwich34]

I've used melted chocolate with soft gingerbread before now

put the chocolate on and secure in place with cocktail sticks until the chocolate sets

[Tobagostreet]

Sorry - realised I only answered your 1st Q.

If I was avoiding sweets, I'd decorate very simply with melted white chocolate, piped around the key features of the house to make it look like snow. Maybe add some festive sprinkles too.

[cazza2878]

I just made one a few days ago and used melted sugar (just caster sugar and nothing else boiled up in a pan). Worked a treat as it sets mega quickly and goes rock hard like glue!
I decorated by piping thin patterns of white icing on it and bunged a few smarties around the door and a few jelly tots on the roof plus a chocolate button path. It looked great!

[AhCmonSeriouslyNow]

Ooh, are you sure you don't want to use sweeties - it really is more about the look than actually eating it (see here and here and here where I sourced and made a gingerbread house with small children!) ?

If you're sure, I guess you could use glace cherries...all though maybe they are not much better than sweeties. They do come in pretty colours, though. Chocolate buttons and Milky Way buttons (seeing as chocolate is ok) - they'd make great roof tiles.
Erm...will think further.

[DoubleMum]

I would use caramel, I think there is a Martha Stewart tutorial on my Pinterest board. I am a bit obsessed with gingerbread houses, I have a whole board for them. Will see if I can find it.

[DoubleMum]

Here it is:
www.marthastewart.com/921723/swedish-gingerbread-house-how#201851
If you'd like decorative inspiration here's my board on Pinterest (I'd like to confirm that I didn't make any of them but I wish I did!)
pinterest.com/possession/gingerbread/

[joymaker]

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions.

Yes, it is more for the activity that we will be making it but once made I would hate to be at all prohibitive in what he could/could not eat on it.

70,Tobag and sausage I haven't gone to the trouble of making the gingerbread this time around, I bought the gingerbread house from ikea. I will buy those moulds from Lakeland for next year if DS enjoys it so thanks for the tip-off.

I think using melted sugar, piped white chocolate, cherries and some smarties may be the way I will go this year. cazza2878 your gingerbread house sounds lovely!

whatever and AhCmon, so far DS hasn't tended to associate things like allsorts with 'real' food- He assumed the Haribo sweets (you know the ones in the image of fried eggs and rings etc) he once got in a party bag a while back were mini toys bless and needless to say I'm happy to go along with this idea as long as it lasts but thank you for your links and also to you DoubleMum I shall have a peek.

[DecktheHallswithTroughsofBolly]

Hard crack boiled sugar

[DecktheHallswithTroughsofBolly]

oooo doublemum, i think i might have pinned a couple of your gingerbread pins recently :)

I've made a gingerbread nativity this year instead of a house, bought the Lakeland cookie cutters in teh sale last year. Once it's iced I'll stick up some pics

[DecktheHallswithTroughsofBolly]

following you now :)

[DoubleMum]

I confess I am a gingerbread-oholic. But for various reasons will only be doing a kit with 4 small children this year - it's unlikely a picture will make it to Pinterest LOL! I'll look out for you DecktheHalls.