Gingerbread Castle

According to many researchers, the first gingerbread houses were the result of the tale as old as time- "Hansel and Gretel" in which two children lost in the forest, located an edible house made with sugar decorations. This castle takes the classic house or cottage to a whole new level and it is easier to make than one might think and makes an incredible gift.

To make the dough, the ingredients listed below must be gathered

- 3 1/2 cups self raising flour

- 1 cup plain flour

- 1 tablespoon ground ginger

- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

- 1/4 cup icing sugar

- 185g butter

- 1/2 cup golden syrup

- 2 eggs

- In a large mixing bowl, combine the self raising flour, plain flour, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, icing sugar and butter with an electric mixer until it becomes a breadcrumb like consistency.

- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the golden syrup and eggs.

- With the mixer on, gradually add the syrup mixture to the bowl containing the other ingredients.

- Once it becomes dough, remove it from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface until smooth and easy to knead.

- Split into 2 sections and wrap in plastic wrap to refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours.

A second and even possibly a third batch may be necessary to make all the pieces.

Print and cut out the pieces in the document attached.

Roll one ball of dough at a time between two pieces of baking paper until approximately 0.5cm thick. Cut out the pieces according to the amount numbered on each template piece. Bake the pieces for approximately 15 minutes (or until browned slightly) in the oven at 180 degrees celsius. Remove to cool and leave on trays for a minimum of 10 minutes.

To make the royal icing, first gather the following ingredients:

- 2 egg whites

- 1 teaspoon lemon juice

- 3 cups icing sugar

Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice together and gradually add the icing sugar until a smooth consistency is reached.

Place a zip lock bag in a mug with the edges of the bag folded over the rim and proceed to pour the icing into the bag. Seal with a small rubber band and cut a small hole at the end to be ready to continue to the construction of the castle.

Construct the towers and small structure according to the document attached using the gingerbread pieces and royal icing. Use mugs and cups to hold the pieces whilst the icing is drying. Mimic the image of the completed product I made to see how the walls between the towers are constructed.

You can decorate your castle however you choose but I chose to keep decorations to a minimum by doing minor piping (as shown on the photos), however, i mixed several lollies together and decided to pour them into the centre of the castle and the tower tops.