Q1: My caramel hardened too fast! What do I do?

Don't worry! The beauty of a caramel mortar is that you can simply place your skillet back over a very low heat and let the caramel gently re-melt until it is a workable consistency again.

Q2: Can I use royal icing to build the house instead of caramel?

You can, but a royal icing "glue" will take several hours (or even overnight) to dry and become strong enough to support the roof.8 The magic of the caramel mortar is that it sets up and becomes rock-hard in just about 30 seconds, which makes the construction process much faster.

Q3: Why did my gingerbread pieces spread and lose their shape?

The most common culprit is that the dough was not chilled for long enough. The multi-stage chilling process in this recipe is the non-negotiable secret that will solidify the fats in the dough and guarantee your panels bake up with sharp, straight edges that will fit together perfectly.

Q4: Is this a good project to make with kids?

Yes and no! The decorating of the flat panels with the royal icing and the candies is a fantastic and fun activity for kids. However, the construction of the house with the hot caramel is extremely dangerous and must be done by an adult only.

Q5: Can I eat my gingerbread house?

Absolutely! While it makes for a beautiful decoration, every single component of this house is completely edible and delicious.

Salted Caramel Gingerbread House (A Holiday Showstopper!)

An elaborate and festive recipe for a ‘Salted Caramel Gingerbread House,’ a showstopper edible centerpiece perfect for Christmas. This multi-day project involves creating a from-scratch, spiced gingerbread dough which is baked into panels to construct a house. Uniquely, the house is assembled using hot, molten caramel as the primary ‘glue.’ The finished structure is then intricately decorated with a salted caramel theme, featuring a ‘thatched’ roof made of frosted shredded wheat, candy windows, and a landscape of popcorn ‘snow’ and a pecan-lined walkway.

Author: Grace

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons shortening, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
For the Royal Icing:
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Caramel Glue:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the Decorations:
Peppermint hard candies, fig bars, pretzel sticks, butterscotch hard candies, French toast cereal, gummy candies, jelly beans, gummy gingerbread people, caramel-coated mini pretzels, frosted shredded wheat cereal, sea salt, pecan halves, sesame candy, popcorn

Instructions

Make the Gingerbread Dough: Sift the dry ingredients. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the molasses, vanilla, and egg. On low speed, add the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Create & Bake Panels: Create paper templates for the house walls and roof. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Roll out the chilled dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out the panels using the templates. Chill the cutouts for 15 minutes.
Bake the panels for 30-35 minutes until crisp. While still warm, use the templates to re-cut the shapes for precision. Let them cool completely.
Make the Royal Icing: Beat the confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 5-6 tablespoons of water with an electric mixer until thick and glossy peaks form.
Decorate the Panels: Before assembly, decorate the cooled gingerbread panels using the royal icing to attach various candies for windows, doors, and other details. Cover the roof panels with frosted shredded wheat cereal to create a ‘shingled’ look. Let all decorations set for at least 30 minutes.
Make the Caramel Glue & Assemble: In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of water, swirling the pan, until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber color (about 12-15 minutes).
Working very carefully and quickly, dip the bottom and side edges of the gingerbread panels into the hot caramel and assemble the walls of the house on your base. Use cans to prop up the walls as they set.
Attach the roof panels using the hot caramel. Use royal icing to fill in any seams.
Landscape and Finish: Use the remaining royal icing to create a walkway and ‘snowdrifts’ around the house, decorating with pecans, crushed sesame candy, and popcorn. Add final candy decorations as desired. Let the entire house rest until dry.

Notes

Special Equipment: This is an advanced project requiring printable templates, a stand mixer, piping bags, and a silicone brush.
This is a multi-day edible craft project that requires significant time for chilling, baking, decorating, and assembly.
The most unique and challenging part of this recipe is using hot, molten caramel as the primary ‘glue’ for construction. This step requires extreme caution as hot sugar can cause severe burns.
Re-cutting the gingerbread panels while they are still warm is a key professional tip that ensures all the pieces will fit together perfectly.
The article references a ‘Cook’s Note’ that is not provided in the text.

Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/salted-caramel-gingerbread-house/