THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

Graham crackers (get a name brand, generic ones break easy)

Frosting in a decorator bag

Assorted candies

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Mix 1pack of confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 spoon cream of tartar and 3 egg whites thoroughly in a bowl. When the frosting is smooth and glossy (about 3 minutes), it is ready.

2.Make a basic house shape by cutting two graham crackers so that they have a point at one end like the peak of a roof. Work slowly so that the cracker doesn’t break. Sometimes it helps to draw a line with the knife, cutting partially through the cracker first. Then run the knife along the line again to cut the rest of the way through. Take three more graham crackers and break them in half so that you have 6 squares. If your cracker breaks, don’t worry! Put icing along the broken edge and “glue” the piece back together.

3.Pipe a line of icing along the bottom and two sides of one pointed graham cracker. Pipe along the bottom edge of a square graham cracker. Place the pointed graham cracker and square cracker onto the plate so that they form two sides of a square. Add the second pointed cracker and another square cracker to complete the square, adding icing along the edges to hold the crackers together. Make sure that the pointed crackers are attached to the inside of the square crackers or they will be too far apart to hold the roof up. Pipe along the top edge of the house and add the roof.

4.Let the structures dry on the paper plates for at least an hour. The frosting will dry into a hard and edible “glue.”

DECORATING THE HOUSE:

1.After the graham cracker structure is hardened, you can begin decorating. Simply pipe the frosting wherever you want it, and press candy into the frosting before it sets up.

2.Use your imagination with decorating. Create shingles, window shutters, doorknobs and more with different kinds of candy.

3.Try using bits of graham cracker for other features of the house, such as a door or chimney. Attach these to the cracker structure with frosting and decorate accordingly.

4.Don’t limit yourself to the graham cracker house alone. Use the “yard” around the house to complete the scene. Try using upside-down ice cream cones for trees, or licorice ropes for a fence. There is no end to the creative things that can be done to a graham cracker gingerbread house.

5.Those with a steady hand can create frosting icicles on the candy house. Simply start at the roof eaves and gently squeese a bit of frosting out, then pull downward until the frosting hangs like an icicle.