Create Your Own Gingerbread House

Let's design some sassy gingerbread houses!

Okay, want to make gingerbread houses with your kids this holiday season?  Don't want to make an extra trip to the craft store for a gingerbread kit?  Use items that you have in your pantry already for free!

You will need:

-a few paper plates

-graham crackers

-hot glue gun & sticks

-10x powdered sugar (3 1/2 cups)

-2 beaten egg whites

-candy

-children to eat and create 

candy galore!

"how much candy can I eat?"

First, gather a few paper plates (they can be any color and size- I happened to have green ones).  These will be your base.

Next you will need graham crackers to build your house with.  Break each cracker in half so that you have square crackers to work with.  Create your house with four of these crackers.  Use a hot glue gun to glue them to each other, then glue them down to the paper plate in the shape of a square.  You can really get creative and use different shapes and layers here, but I chose to keep it simple with squares since I was decorating with a 3 year old.  Feel free to leave comments with pictures of your own creations below ;)

To mix the icing: Take 2 egg whites and beat until fluffy with an electric mixer.  Add powdered sugar until thick, but not too thick to spread.  Ice the house and decorate with candy!  You can use anything in your pantry to decorate with, including small cookies, crushed Oreo's, sprinkles, marsh mellows, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs, Fruity Pebbles, and gum. Don't forget doors, windows, rooftop and the yard!  There's no wrong way to decorate!  

Stop to sample the sweets along the way and have fun!

If you happen to make extra houses, nursing homes love receiving these treats for their members!