Take a stroll down Gingerbread Lane

Cloud-like mountains of white frosting, towers of sparkling gum drops, infinite rows of brightly striped candy canes–with a very sweet vision, I set about building my very own gingerbread house.

I was excited when I found out about the Hillview Community Center’s annual Gingerbread House Exhibit, a showcase event that ran from Monday, November 30 to Friday, December 4. (Participating in the exhibit has become a tradition for The Talon, as this is our fourth annual coverage of the event.)

I began sketching my fantasy gingerbread house, wondering if I should go with the classic “Hansel and Gretel” style or the cozy log cabin from “Little House on the Prairie.” Unable to make a decision, I decided to go freestyle, hoping that the gingerbread men would direct me on my mission.

As I whipped together a combination of brown sugar, butter and molasses, the distinctly syrupy smell of molasses filled the kitchen. I measured out and added the dry ingredients thinking that everything was going along just perfectly.

However, as I turned on the electric mixer, flour flew out of the bowl, landing all over the counter and on me. I checked the recipe more closely and discovered that I was supposed to add the dry ingredients in small batches. Oops.

Refusing to be defeated by my floury mishap, I cleaned up the mess and went on to mix in the last of the flour with my hands.

I quickly rolled out the dough and used several cardboard stencils to cut out the structure and roof of my house.

I whipped up some royal icing, and with a feeling of exhilaration, finally began the construction of my gingerbread house.

Unfortunately, the building process did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. I attempted to glue the sides of the house together with my icing cement, but the icing dried up quickly, making it difficult to mix and spread on the structure.

The gingerbread also came out less than perfect. Some pieces were over-baked and cracked when I tried to move them, while others were under-baked and could not support the weight of the candy. Four out of the six original pieces were broken and I had wasted half of my icing attempting to glue them back together. At least I was able to eat the broken gingerbread to compensate for my unsuccessful attempts at construction.

With my strength renewed, I whipped up some more gingerbread and repeated the process, praying that this next batch would be more successful than the last one.

Thankfully, my efforts paid off, and I was finally able to get my gingerbread house standing.

Shredded coconut and powdered sugar covered the cardboard base with a soft layer of pure white snow. A gumdrop became a sparkly doorknob, Ho-Hos turned into chocolate logs and a lollipop was transformed into a festive Christmas tree. Jelly beans created a fence around the white frosting pathway leading to the gingerbread house itself, a sugary wonder which featured peppermints, gumdrops, frosting, jelly beans, white chocolate, pretzel sticks, snow caps and Mike and Ike candies. Santa and Mr. Gingerbread Man guarded the house, armed with candy canes.

As I admired my gingerbread house, I could not help but feel an amazing sense of accomplishment. The five hours of construction and decoration had undoubtedly been tiring at times, and I definitely felt a little sick from all the candy I had consumed during the process. My weariness, however, was overcome by my pride in the final product.

So for all of you aspiring to satisfy your sugary dreams, don’t be daunted by the task of making your own gingerbread house. Despite the difficulties you may face on the way, the trip down Gingerbread Lane is definitely worth it.