As an avid gingerbread house maker– I’m kidding, I’ve never made one before. Until today.
Let me just make this clear. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But it’s literally just assembling a house with a brown biscuit-cookie material and some frosting, that’s not hard. After cutting off the tips of the icing packs, opening up the sprinkle bags, and preparing plates, I think my confidence may have peaked a little bit more than it should have. I suppose you could say that I got a little cocky. I figured, who needs instructions? Certainly not me. Right?
Wrong. This experience humbled me. I completely underestimated the process, and my respect for bakers and pastry chefs absolutely skyrocketed. It took me two hours or so just to build and decorate, not even to actually make the gingerbread.
I’m also mildly convinced that the pieces were purposely ganging up on me. The front of the house fell down so many times I was on the verge of tears (not really, but might as well have been). Don’t even get me started on the roof. Those cookies were definitely sliding down onto the table deliberately.
Of course, as the amazing gingerbread architect I am, it eventually came together! Possibly a little lopsided, and maybe slightly falling apart here and there, but it’s the thought that counts. My little gingerbread buddy isn’t picky.
In terms of decoration, I would say that it’s much easier than building the actual house. Doesn’t entirely mean that it came out looking decent, though. Or maybe it’s not too bad for my first time? I’ll let you decide that.
I will say, I do highly recommend actually reading the instructions for ALL the materials before the assembly process. One of my biggest issues was the fact that the icing pouch that I was using to “glue” the pieces together was not really functional. It would break halfway through, or wouldn’t stick the pieces together at all. Of course, that could just be a lack of expertise on my part… or the fact that I was supposed to knead the icing pouch for two minutes before use. As you may have guessed, I did not do that, thus my predicament of a crumbling infrastructure.
Aside from all the difficulties, however, I would say that the overall experience was actually pretty rewarding. I felt extremely happy when I finished the gingerbread house, and so glad that I had a chance to build one for the first time. I suppose you could call it “healing” my inner child, but that may be too cringe for some of you. Either way, I’m really glad that I got the chance to make one.
Would I actually recommend making a gingerbread house? I would. It’s a rewarding experience that taught me the importance of both patience and perseverance. I think it would be even better if a group got together to make a gingerbread house because it’s a highly enjoyable experience and definitely a chance to make memories.
