Making A Gingerbread House

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• Liquid N mixed off-farm & applied to suit your needs • Proof of placement available on request • No job too big or small, all areas covered A well-known fun, Christmas tradition amongst many families is making and decorating a Gingerbread House. The Houses originated in Germany during the sixteenth century, and their popularity rose when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretel, in which the main characters stumble upon a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest. It is unclear whether or not Gingerbread Houses were a result of the popular fairy tale or vice versa. Below is a recipe on how to make a Gingerbread House, it might be a fun, family activity to try this festive season.

Chelsea Gingerbread House Ingredients: 7 cups plain flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 3 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp mixed spice ½ tsp cardamom 250g butter 1 cup Chelsea Golden Syrup 2 cups Chelsea White Sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 eggs, beaten Royal Icing 1 egg white 2 ½ - 3 cups Chelsea Icing Sugar 1- 2 Tbsp lemon juice Mixed lollies for decoration

Method: Preheat oven to 170°C. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a large saucepan heat butter, golden syrup and sugar over a medium heat stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes then beat in lemon juice and beaten eggs. Pour sugar mixture into dry ingredients and work into soft pliable dough - (add a few tablespoons of warm water if needed). Divide mixture into four or five pieces and roll out each piece of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2mm, remove top layer of paper. Using the paper template cut out 2 sides, 2 ends, 2 roof panels and 1 base. Note: lay the paper template over the top layer of baking paper and cut around or transfer template to baking paper as normal paper will stick to the warm mixture. Bake pieces for 10-12 minutes or until golden and set. Let cool and harden. For icing: Beat egg white in a bowl until fluffy, add icing sugar and lemon juice whisking to a thick white paste. Transfer to a piping bag. To assemble: First pipe windows, doors, and roof decoration onto gingerbread pieces. Assemble the house on the base using icing to attach the sides and ends, finishing with the roof. Hold each piece for a few minutes until dry and set in place. Use the remaining icing to decorate and attach lollies to the house. Sprinkle with icing sugar snow. Tip: When cutting out the gingerbread it is easiest to remove the surrounding excess dough and leave the cut out template piece on the baking paper and cook it rather than move them onto another sheet. There will be plenty of mixture left over (enough for 2 dozen gingerbread men) so you can make gingerbread biscuits and extra decorations. If you don’t have a piping bag use a zip lock bag and snip the corner off.

Visit the website to find the Gingerbread House template: www.chelsea.co.nz/browse-recipes/ chelsea-gingerbread-house/