How do I get the b@stard gingerbread house to stick together?

[Feetupteashot]

Another lovely Xmas activity not working! Why won't the icing sugar stick!!!

Use royal icing and make sure the piping bag has either a larger nozzle or cut a larger hole. Then put supports around your walls whilst it sets.
We love making ginger bread houses but always struggle to keep the roof from sliding off! A larger nozzle and thick string of royal icing works

2 years ago ds2 then 14 insisted on doing it alone and couldn't get it to stick together, by the time he admitted defeat and asked for help, the roof and 2 sides were broken and was pretty much unsalvageable as an actual building. Our nanny suggested he embrace the disaster and decorate each part individually and stick it in a higgledy-piggledy pile with some of ds3s construction vehicles and call it a demolition. He even made some gingerbread builders with hard hats. It actually looked pretty cool.

Thank you all! Suspect not the best activity for a 3 & 5yo

Prefab from tiger but no sodding icing and we're at the bottom of the bag for addtl unnecessary stress

You could perhaps make your royal icing and stick it together tonight once they’re in bed, then they can do the fun bit tomorrow!

Royal icing, not normal

I also tied my together while it set, I used present ribbon and cut it off once set and then decorated.

Yeah, make the house first, let it set and then paste icing over the roof and the dc can decorate with sweets and twinkles.

Now you are just showing off

I do make my own gingerbread, this was my compromise when my middle DC uttered those awful words "can we make a gingerbread house?" a few years ago.

We did this once. It essentially was held together by balancing the bits.....and bloody blu tac. No-one ate any of it either.

They're really more for show than to eat, aren't they?

Don't think eating the gingerbread and icing will be a problem....

We used an Aldi kit this year but usually I make my own. The key is making the icing super thick and finding a way to hold it altogether until it sets

We use marzipan!

I don’t know but this thread title had me crying with laughter 🤣 had a shit week as my mum is in hospital and this just made my day (even unintentionally)

I saw a tip somewhere - hold the prices in place by propping the upright pieces against mugs. That worked for us.

Royal icing works best. Dries quite fast and glues everything together very firmly. Quite hard to chip away at once it’s set though.

Thank you for this thread. I'm going to need it.

Hot caramel.

It’s not a child friendly activity (actually not really clumsy adult friendly either) and can result in burns. If it drips anywhere it will make a mess. But it dries quickly into a rock solid lump of sugar that will break your teeth if you try to eat it.

I use white chocolate, so much easier than royal icing. Hold the sides in place with small glasses whilst it dries, but it dries a lot quicker than icing.

Baking glue from IKEA or flying tiger .
It’s essentially royal icing in a tube. Royal icing works well. We have used a mix of baking glue and royal icing and they are
Stuck like concrete, and did not
Take long to dry

@tiredanddangerous

Don't even go there is my advice. Dump the whole lot in the bin and have a gin.

Or three

Buy a ready made one from aldi and let the kids decorate it!

I had the same issue a few years ago. Now I buy a ready assembled one from Aldi that only needs decorating

Melted chocolate is best ☺️

@tiredanddangerous

Don't even go there is my advice. Dump the whole lot in the bin and have a gin.

@tiredanddangerous I don't know what you mean