Ingredients

Gingerbread

• 300g butter, chopped
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup golden syrup
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 cup ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 7 cups plain flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Royal icing

• 4 egg whites
• 6 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

To decorate

• 30 fruit flavoured or musk sticks
• 16 licorice allsorts
• 2/3 x 80g packet ice-cream wafers
• 12 chocolate wafer sticks
• 1 vanilla cream biscuit, halved, icing removed, discarded
• 1 green jelly fruit ring
• 5 Jols lollies (sugar-free pastilles)
• 18 red jubes
• 18 green jubes
• 2 1/2 x 160g packets strawberry flavoured sour straps (you’ll need 48)
• 5cm piece honeycomb chocolate bar
• 1 large white marshmallow
• 18 chocolate mini drops
• 2 rainbow sour straps
• 2cm piece licorice strap, cut into 8 thin strips
• 2 chocolate flake bars
• 5 chocolate freckles
• 3 mint leaves, halved horizontally
• 1 red jelly snake

Method

• Step 1 Make Gingerbread: Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Transfer to a large bowl. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Step 2 Sift ginger, allspice, baking powder and flour into a bowl. Add half the flour to butter mixture. Stir well. Add egg, stirring to combine. Stir in remaining flour mixture until a sticky dough forms. Divide dough into 4 portions and shape into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Step 3 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Using ‘front and back’ template, cut 2 rectangles from dough, re-rolling scraps. Place on prepared trays. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and just firm to touch. Stand on trays for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• Step 4 Repeat step 3 using 1 remaining dough portion and 'side' template (make 2).
• Step 5 Repeat step 3 using 1 remaining portion of dough and 'roof' template (make 2).
• Step 6 Roll remaining portion of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Using ‘roof side’ template, cut 2 triangles. Place on prepared tray. Bake ‘roof sides’ pieces for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Stand on tray for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• Step 7 Repeat step 3 using re-rolled scraps and ‘awning’ template (make 1).
• Step 8 Make Royal icing: Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Gradually add icing sugar, whisking until smooth and combined. Stir in lemon juice (cover icing with damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out).
• Step 9 To assemble and decorate: Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm fluted nozzle. Pipe icing onto edge of 1 ‘side’ piece. Carefully attach to 1 ‘front and back’ piece and place centred on the MDF board (hold in place until icing begins to set). Repeat process with remaining ‘front and back’ piece. Repeat with remaining ‘side’ piece to form enclosed walls of house. Pipe icing onto 1 top edge of ‘roof side’ triangle. Carefully attach 1 ‘roof’ piece to triangle (hold in place until icing begins to set). Repeat with remaining ‘roof side’ triangle and attach to opposite end. Pipe icing on remaining top edges of triangles. Attach remaining ‘roof’ piece (hold in place until icing begins to set) to form the roof. Pipe icing along top of roof. Set aside for 1 hour or until icing has set. 10 Meanwhile, pipe 4 lines lengthways across ‘awning’. Arrange fruit sticks on ‘awning’, trimming to fit. Set aside for 1 hour or until icing has set.
• Step 10 Arrange allsorts in 4 rows of 4 on a flat surface the size of the MDF board. Pipe a little icing on top of each allsort. Place MDF board on top. Reserve 1 ice-cream wafer. Using a little icing, place remaining wafers, trimming to fit, around house to form veranda.
• Step 11 Lightly score square cardboard 4cm in from 1 edge. Following score line, lightly fold cardboard. Pipe icing around top of house. Position cardboard over top of house with the folded piece overhanging the front. Set aside for 20 minutes. Pipe icing around outside edge of cardboard. Carefully place roof on house (hold in place until icing begins to set). Using icing, attach 2 chocolate wafer sticks on either side of each house corner. Pipe icing in a decorative pattern on corners between sticks. Set aside for 30 minutes or until set. Using icing, arrange biscuits on front of house to form a door (hold until icing begins to set). Using a little icing, attach Jols to fruit ring to form a wreath. Using a little icing, attach wreath to door (hold until icing begins to set). Using the picture as a guide, attach jubes to house with icing to form windows (2 at front, 2 on side, 3 on back and 2 on side of roof). Pipe around jubes to define windows.
• Step 12 Trim about 1cm from 1 short end of each sour strap. Place 1 strap on a flat surface. Pipe a little icing along 1 long edge. Top with another sour strap, overlapping by half. Repeat process with 10 straps. Repeat process 3 more times to form shingles for roof. Set aside for 10 minutes. Using icing, attach shingles to roof. Trim end of honeycomb bar on an angle and attach with icing to back of roof to form a chimney (hold in place until set). Top chimney with a little icing and a marshmallow to form smoke. Reserve 1 red and 3 purple mini drops. Cut yellow strips from rainbow sour straps. Cut yellow strips into thin lengths. Using the picture as a guide and a little icing, attach yellow strips and mini drops to roof to form Christmas lights. Using a little icing, attach licorice and reserved red mini drop to front of roof to form a spider.
• Step 13 Using icing, attach 4 chocolate wafer sticks along front of veranda (holding in place until icing begins to set). Pipe a thick strip of icing along back edge of awning, all over over-hanging cardboard, and a little icing on top of each stick. Put awning into place, holding until icing begins to set (fill any gaps with icing). Set aside for 2 hours or until set.
• Step 14 Cut flakes into three 6cm pieces. Place flakes in front of house to form steps. Arrange freckles in front of steps for path. Place mint leaves in front of house. Using a little icing, attach 1 reserved purple mini drop to top of mint leaves to form flowers. Place snake on verandah. Using a 5.5cm x 7.5cm kangaroo cutter, cut a kangaroo from reserved ice-cream wafer. Using a little icing, place in front of house.