Your holiday masterpiece doesn't have to look like something Hansel and Gretel would stumble upon. Professional baker Lauren Chattman and architect Susan Matheson, coauthors of The Gingerbread Architect(which features instructions and blueprints for gingerbread houses modeled after classic American homes, like the Tudor Revival at left), shared their sweetest trade secrets with us.
Take a stroll for inspiration. Houses in your neighborhood can be great examples of different building elements and styles. If you live in the Southwest, give a pueblo house a try; if you're back east, build an urban brownstone.
Flip through children's books. The drawings often have great color combinations and simplified images. Gingerbread houses don't replicate buildings, after all; they incorporate elements that give the "feel" of a certain style.
Pick a concept and choose goodies to match. If you hit the candy aisle with a specific theme in mind -- say, a color palette or a certain type of candy -- your house is less likely to turn into a hodgepodge of ideas.
Choose hard, dry candies. Peppermints and sour balls will last longer than chocolates and jellies will before falling off the house. If you do lose a few pieces (to gravity or snackers), you can always use fresh icing to attach new ones.
Keep a microplane or grater handy. Straight, even surfaces where the pieces meet are the key to your house's structural stability. Once the gingerbread is baked, use your tool to remove bumps and peaks and to level edges.
Finish off the house with landscaping. Define the space around your house with a yogurt-covered-pretzel fence, or create a "boxwood" hedge with marshmallows covered in green icing.
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