Ask A Baltimore Expert: Tips For Building Gingerbread Houses

The holiday season brings opportunities for families to participate together in activities, which may include decorating gingerbread houses. This is a wonderful way to spend time with the loved ones, have fun and enjoy a different kind of familial bonding. There are people in the Baltimore area who love expressing their artistic side by creating and decorating gingerbread houses. This article features one such expert who will shed light on her tips for building gingerbread houses.

Veronica Clavon Whiting
Safeway Markets
4401 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
(410) 319-8591

Veronica Clavon Whiting is a (now retired) cake decorator. She was employed for 23 years — 10 of which were at Safeway Markets where she not only made beautiful cakes, but also gingerbread houses. She said the best part of her job was meeting people and creating her artwork for them to enjoy. She especially liked showing children how to make and decorate gingerbread houses.

Make It Easy On Yourself

Use a gingerbread house kit. Don't try to make the gingerbread from scratch unless you absolutely want to. That will create more work. Most kits come with six panels. You can even get creative and use unbroken graham crackers instead. You will also need royal icing, a piping bag and whatever colorful candies (or sugar-sweetened cereal) you want to use for decorations. Use a serrated knife to cut the gingerbread into a triangular shape for the front and back of the house.

Assembling The House Place the house on a piece of sturdy cardboard as a foundation. This will make it easier when you are ready to move your gingerbread house. Lay the 'floor' of your gingerbread house. Then put up the walls to decide where you need to place the 'glue.'

The 'Glue' Is Key

Use royal icing to help the gingerbread set prior to decorating the house. Using the piping bag, spread the royal icing around the perimeter of the gingerbread to act as an adhesive to hold the walls together. This is the key to having your walls standing and not collapsing. The royal icing will make your house firm once it dries. Hold the house in place for one minute once you apply the royal icing.

Related: Best Prime Rib In Baltimore

Decorating The House

Some people prefer to decorate the outside of the gingerbread house before it is assembled. As an artist, Lawson's preference is to decorate the house after you assemble it. Use brightly colored candies and royal icing to make your house as attractive as can be. Before you begin, be sure to sort the candies by color so that they won't be so messy as you handle them after you have royal icing all over your fingers.

Just For Effects

You can sprinkle powdered sugar over your house to give it a snowy look. You can also use royal icing for that same effect. You can also use different colored icing to make trees, snowmen, ribbons, wreaths, etc. for that holiday look. You can choose to eat your gingerbread house, or just display it for a little time.

Related: Best Winter Beers In Baltimore

Vickie Lawson is a freelance writer whose work can be found on Examiner.com.

In:
• Baltimore