Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

Ho! Ho! Ho! Easy gingerbread houses are here! Ok, well, they're not made of gingerbread, but it is one less time-consuming step to make, especially if you're like me and don't have any interest in eating your creation. Besides, graham crackers are delicious too and are pretty easy to work with- and hey, if you mess up- just grab another cracker! If you're making these with kids, I would recommend making the little ones- less time, less complicated, and more instant gratification. Below this, I have instructions on how to make the trees- they're even easier!

Ingredients:

1 C. powdered sugar
1 T. water (add more in small quantities as needed)
Graham crackers
Mix-n-match candies, candy canes, licorice, gum drops, jelly beans, pixie stix (all vegan, of course)

Tools:

Squeeze bottle with narrow spout (I reused an agave nectar bottle)
serrated steak knife
kitchen scissors
large piece of foam core or cardboard
parchment paper & tape
paper towels
bowls for sorting candy

Spinz:

First, cover your piece of foam core or cardboard
with parchment paper (wrap like a present to cover
one side). This will keep things from sticking!
Next, make the "glue" that's gonna hold everything
together. Mix the powdered sugar with the tablespoon
of water, until it forms a very thick almost pastey glue.
You don't want it runny like Elmer's, but thicker like
ketchup. If you need to add more water, do so a little
water at a time, until it combines. Now transfer your
sugar glue to the squeeze bottle. Note: I will from this point refer to my sugar concoction as "glue," even though you should NEVER use real glue- someone might try to eat it, like your dogs.
To construct a larger house, you'll need to glue some
pieces together first. You'll need 10 unbroken
crackers to build 4 walls. Take 2 crackers and glue them
together by putting a line of glue between them, then
laying them side by side and putting another line of
glue over the seam. Wait about 5 minutes before turning
them over to put another line of glue on the opposite side's
seam. Do the same for all four walls.
For 2 of the 4 walls, you'll need to cut out some triangles
so you don't have gaping holes in your roof. Do this, by
"sawing" your cracker very gently with a serrated steak
knife (as shown), paying particular attention to the corners
which crumble easily. Glue the triangles onto the tops of
2 of the walls in the same manner as before.
Make sure to wait at least 10 minutes before moving them
so the glue has time to set completely.
Next, I would recommend decorating your wall BEFORE
you assemble your house. Once the decorations have set,
put together the walls by putting a line of glue on one wall
and positioning it at a 45 degree angle to an adjacent wall.
Naturally, walls with triangles will be on opposite sides-
for those who never built things with Lego's! Lastly, use
1 1/2 crackers (lengthwise) to build your roof. Build it by
gluing lines on one cracker to fit onto the bottom of one
side of the roof, using the triangles as support, then gluing
the half piece on top of that. Then, do the opposite side of
the roof in the same manner. Don't worry too much
about the seams not looking neat or matching up
perfectly, as you can cover them up with more glue
and candies, as shown.

For the little houses, which are cute and much faster to
make- a great craft project for kids! Break whole
graham crackers in half to form squares. I would
recommend scoring them with the serrated knife
(gentle sawing motion), before breaking them- that
way they'll break into perfect squares every time.
The hardest part is cutting the triangles, which you'll
do in the same manner as the large ones- just on a
smaller scale. I've been lazy in the past, and just
left them open, covering them later with candy canes
-mini ones are great. With these little guys, you
can start assembling soon after you finish decorating,
they should only take a few minutes to set.

To make the TREES:

You'll need the above glue and candies for decoration,
plus -

Ice cream cones (sugar, not plain)
green food coloring
green colored sugar candy (like pixie sticks) - optional

Spinz:

In a small bowl, put a few drops of green food coloring into a
little bit of water. With a brush, dip into the mixture and
blot with a paper towel. Brush onto the cone while holding
the tip (you may want to wear surgical type gloves to avoid
green fingers). While still wet, roll the cone in the sugar
candy (regular sugar would work too). Let dry for a few
minutes. Now it's ready to decorate with your "glue" from
the projects above.

Happy Holidayz Everyone!!!