Building strong gingerbread houses does not require a drafting table and pencil compass.

Tara Black, co-owner of Origin Bakery, builds gingerbread houses every December and says the key is the frosting. Royal icing is the way to go, the baker explains, adding the stronger hold the icing has the less tasty it will be.

B次元官网网址淚f you want to add some kind of appeal to it you could add a little bit of citrus juice,B次元官网网址� Black said.

That means less than a teaspoon of lemon juice for a batch calling for four cups of icing sugar, three egg whites and a teaspoon of cream of tartar. B次元官网网址淚t tastes better with the lemon juice but it does weaken the icing.B次元官网网址�

Once the royal icing is mixed make sure itB次元官网网址檚 thick and can hold a sharp peak.

B次元官网网址淵ou want the icing to dry in about 10 minutes,B次元官网网址� Black said B次元官网网址淚f you put too much icing on there wonB次元官网网址檛 be enough contact with the gingerbread and if you put too little there wonB次元官网网址檛 be enough of it to stick.B次元官网网址�

Place a damp paper towel on the top of the icing to ensure it doesnB次元官网网址檛 get a crusty top.

Another option for holding the gingerbread house together would be using caramelized sugar, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not for the faint of heart, Black said, pointing to scars on her hands from her own experiences.

B次元官网网址淪ugar burns are not appealing, they scar you and then take a long time to heal,B次元官网网址� Black said. B次元官网网址淚f you are going use caramelized sugar make sure you research it and follow the instructions.B次元官网网址�

Whether you build gluten-free or traditional, Black said the success is in the spices.

B次元官网网址淢ake sure you use a lot of different spices like allspice, mace, cinnamon, cloves and ginger,B次元官网网址� she said.

The gingerbread needs to have all the moisture removed in the baking process or it will be too flexible, and the home will crumble.

B次元官网网址淎lways handle the gingerbread with care,B次元官网网址� Black said.

To start, ice the bottom of the walls to anchor to the base, then continue to connect all four walls. Black suggests using water glasses to hold up the walls while the icing dries.

B次元官网网址淎dd icing to seam the inside of the walls, because a lot of people donB次元官网网址檛 do that and then they wonder why their house fell in,B次元官网网址� Black explained.

Sometimes Black likes to decorate the roof before attaching it to the house.

B次元官网网址淚f you have a lot of kids building one house you can give each of them a panel to decorate and then put the house together once they are all decorated,B次元官网网址�

Once the panels are all together, add candy.

B次元官网网址淎lways stick the icing to the house and then add the candy, because you are trying to stick the candy to the house not the other way around,B次元官网网址� Black said.

When shopping for candy Black said she likes to select a variety of shapes, sizes and colours for variation.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檝e never made a gingerbread house before give yourself one hour to one and a half hours to make it,B次元官网网址� Black saids.  B次元官网网址淎lso take a couple breaks in between.B次元官网网址�