Ask A Los Angeles Expert: Tips For Building Gingerbread Houses

Building gingerbread houses is such a tantalizing way to revel in the holiday season, especially when you get a group of little kids involved in the sugary construction. Sure, those willing tykes will need guidance from older folks to help the process on its way to goodness and good cheer, but after your session, all will be rewarded with a traditional structure perfect for launching the coming new year. To tell you how to work this group project, meet blogger, DIY expert and extreme entrepreneur Ashley Erikson.

Ashley Erikson, creator of her family fun-oriented site Mischief & Mudpies, calls herself a mompreneur: besides keeping up with her highly touted blog, she's also president and founder of a local business association. But the list does not stop there. In addition, Erikson is a social media marketing guru, a graphic designer, an event planner, a creative writer and a photographer. That said, first and foremost, Erikson is mom to two young boys. In fact, her goal is to encourage and inspire parents by providing fun and exciting activities to do with their kids like she does with her own. Her motto? "Create, explore, and learn." Based out of Southern California, Mischief & Mudpies -- a keen Internet source Southlanders turn to when looking for ideas on what to do to keep the little ones occupied in a fun and educational way -- offers top Los Angeles-area places to explore as well as provides science experiments, crafts, activities and unique holiday traditions to create.

A Gingerbread House Party

Ashley admits, "I am so lucky to live in a neighborhood full of families with young children like mine, so I love putting together themed activities and crafts." This year, she decided on decorating gingerbread houses among other Christmas themed projects.

Her advice if you want to follow suit? Set up the individual gingerbread houses beforehand so that the frosting holding the walls together has hardened in place by the time the kids get involved.

Erikson also points out that ice cube trays are great tools to use to separate toppings and printing pictures of past made gingerbread houses are perfect when used as inspiration.

And finally, as this DIY guru states, "The most important thing to remember is that messes will happen, fun will be had, and every decorated house is a masterpiece."

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
(makes 4-6 houses)

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 or more tbsp water

Instructions
Start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a bowl and then set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, until blended, then add the molasses. Add half the flour mixture to the molasses/egg combo, knead, then add the other half of the flour.

If the dough seems to dry add water by the tablespoon so it is blended but not sticky. Let the dough chill in the fridge for an hour or 20 minutes in the freezer should do the trick.

You can use gingerbread house cookie cutters but if you don't have any you can cut your own templates from cardstock. A pair of knife works well to cut the shapes out of your dough.

Bake the pieces at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Pull the cookies out when they are just starting to brown on the bottom.

Related: Best Places To Buy Christmas Ornaments In Los Angeles

Royal Icing Recipe

• 1/2 cup meringue powder
• Almost 1 cup of water
• 2 pounds powder sugar
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Now it's time to make the glue that will hold your gingerbread house together. Sift the powdered sugar and set it aside. With the paddle attachment in your mixer whisk the meringue powder with the water until foamy. Slowly start adding the sugar. Mix on low until blended, about five minutes.

Further instruction
Next add the corn syrup, and then let the icing mix on medium speed until it is glossy and form stiff peaks.

Scoop the icing into either disposable icing bags with a fine tip or you can use a plastic bag with the end snipped. Ashley says, "I scooped my icing into disposable icing bags with fine tips. but if you don't have those you could use plastic bags with the ends snipped, or plastic squeeze bottles."

Now, It's time for the best part: assemble, decorate and enjoy.

Related: Best Places For Cookies In Los Angeles