My Winter Woodland Gingerbread House

As some of you may remember, last year I made a gingerbread bird house as a Secret Santa gift (you can read more about it here) and another woodland themed gingerbread house for a friend's baby shower. So, this year I have made a gluten free one for my family and I; perfect to sit on my "Winter Woodland Christmas" themed dessert table.

Gingerbread bird house

Ingredients
250g unsalted butter
200g dark muscovado sugar
600g gluten free plain flour
3 tsp Xanthan Gum
7 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tsp ground ginger

Cooking instructions

1. Heat oven to 180 deg C.
2. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan.
3. Mix the flour, xantham gum, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.
4. Slowly add the melted butter mix to the flour mix to form a dough.
5. Roll dough out to about 8mm thick on to baking paper.
6. Cut out front, then cut small circle out of front.
7. Cut out back.
8. Cut out two roofs.
9. Cut out two sides.
10. Slide cut pieces still on the baking paper on to baking trays.
11. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until firm to the touch.
12. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then re-cut around edges to neaten.
13. Press chocolate matchsticks into roof, so they melt slightly on underside.
14. Leave to completely cool.

Decorating the Bird House

Ingredients
Roll on icing
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Royal icing
M&M's in cream
Food colouring
White hologram glitter
Brush on dust in Ivory Shimmer
Chocolate orange matchmakers
Meiji mushroom cookies x 2

Meiji almond crunch mushroom cookies x 3
Petal paste owl x2
Petal paste squirrel x2
Iced Leaves, Acorns & Robin


Equipment
Rolling pin
Sieve
Textured wood impression mat
Icing bag fitted with small star nozzle
paint brush

To decorate

1. Dust icing sugar onto a hard clean surface and roll out icing to 3mm thick.
2. Cut out base of house components in icing.
3. Press bark impression mat into icing.
4. Brush water onto back of cut-out icing component and place on top of corresponding gingerbread piece. Repeat until all gingerbread pieces are iced.
5. Sprinkle white glitter over each piece.
6. Make up royal icing as per instructions on packet, and spoon into piping bag with a small nozzle at the end.
7. Pipe a small amount of icing on back of owl and place on front of house. Leave to dry.
8. To build the base, hold the front and one of the sides of the house upright together in one hand to form a corner and with the other hand pipe icing down the inside of the corner and hold together until icing starts to set. Repeat until you have formed a box and leave to set.
9. Pipe small star shapes around the bottom of the house between the cake board and the house.
10. Push M&M's on top of the piped stars.
11. Continue piping star shapes along all of the outside joins of the house, pushing M&M's into them as you go.
12. Leave to set.
13. On the back of one iced roof, pipe icing in a small line around the outside edge. Place on top of gingerbread iced box and hold until icing starts to set. Repeat with second roof piece. Leave to dry.
14. Pipe small star shapes around the edge of roof, and joint at top.
15. Push M&M's into piped stars along front and back edge and joint at top.
16. Push iced birds on cocktail sticks into iced roof joint.
17. Pipe small stars on back of squirrels, owl & leaves, and push onto sides and roof of house in desired position.
18. Pipe small stars onto cake stand and push in cookie mushrooms & acorns.
19. Dust house in sieved icing sugar.
20. Sprinkle house in white glitter
21. Leave to set.

Have a sweet day!