Now that’s a gingerbread house

During the holiday season, families often bake up a storm. This baking often includes gingerbread houses, ranging from tiny cottages to stunning masterpieces. This year’s White House gingerbread creation certainly falls into the latter camp, says indexed magazine Bon Appetit.

Pastry chef Susan Morrison started planning this year’s gingerbread house – a scale replica of the entire White House – nearly a year ago, and began assembling the mammoth centerpiece in October. The house clocks in at 475 pounds, which is comprised of 250 pounds of gingerbread dough, 150 pounds of dark chocolate, 25 pounds of gum paste, 25 pounds of handcrafted sugar poles, and 25 pounds of icing.

Ideas for more modest gingerbread houses can be found in the EYB Library. If you can get up the courage to make a house after viewing the masterpiece above, try one of these recipes:

Photo used with permission from DoDNews Flickr by EJ Hersom