DIY Festive Holiday Houses

I adore gingerbread houses, but I never have time to bake the gingerbread, assemble the house and then decorate. So I designed a fun little no-bake graham cracker “gingerbread” house for the holiday issue of ZEST digital magazine!

With store-bought graham crackers, candy and other decorative elements and homemade royal icing (recipe below), you can build adorable and festive holiday houses.

This could be a great idea for a holiday party, too! You can provide all the materials and let your guests decorate and bring home their own little houses.

Royal Icing Recipe ~

• 6 tablespoons egg white substitute (equivalent to 2 large eggs)
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Beat the egg whites in a mixer on high speed, slowly adding the sugar a little bit at a time (start with 2-1/2 cups). Continue beating until the icing is glossy and forms stiff peaks; if it doesn’t form stiff peaks, add more sugar (totaling no more than 3 cups).

To keep your royal icing from drying out while you decorate your house, dampen some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and lay it over the top of the mixing bowl.

Fill a pastry bag with the royal icing and get ready to decorate! If you don’t have a pastry bag, fill a resealable plastic bag and trim a tiny bit off one of the corners.

For more decorating and building tips, be sure to check out the feature in ZEST!