Q&A for How to Make Gingerbread Houses Using Graham Crackers

Traditional cake frosting will not work well. You need a stiff, quick-drying icing for this, usually royal icing, which may be made easily by combining confectioner's sugar (also called powdered sugar), egg whites, cream of tartar, and/or a little extract for flavoring (vanilla, almond, or peppermint are my preference for the holidays). Frosting in a can is designed to not get dry and stiff with the use of oils.

The pie tin was intended to be used upside down as a rigid, mostly non-stick surface for you to build your house upon. It can be easily transported out of the way for clean up or removal to its final location. You could also create a "yard" on the bottom of the plate to enhance the cute factor of your house.

Good binding agents are: flaxseed meal mixed with water, mashed ripe banana, canned chickpea water, whisked. These make an egg-white replacement for baking, souffles, etc.

Find or make larger graham crackers for the foundation of the house.

Step 2 (adding shingles) is simply meant to enhance the visual appeal of your "gingerbread" house. Adding shingles it not required but it can be a fun way to decorate your house.

Use regular glue to seal your gingerbread house, or use pretzel sticks as "studs" to keep the walls in place.

You don't need to, but you can. It's your choice. You could have layered icing shingles or just icing on the roof. Shingles are really just for decoration.

That depends on the size of your house.

You can use a hot glue gun to hold them together, but this would make the parts with glue on inedible.

Yes - these gingerbread houses are edible.

You choose a candy, preferably long and thin (Not like licorice, but like those airhead rainbow strips that have a sweet and sour taste) and put a few on with icing, like the GIF on part three, step 2.

A graham cracker is a wafer made from unbleached wheat flour that has been sweetened. They usually come in perforated rectangles for easy breaking and sharing.

It's a reference to graham flour, which is what graham crackers were originally made with.

Yes, though it may become a bit sloppy.

That would probably work. You could also use a more flat candy, like M&Ms.

The pie tin was intended to be used upside down as a rigid, mostly non-stick surface for you to build your house upon. It can be easily transported out of the way for clean up or removal to its final location. You could also create a "yard" on the bottom of the plate to enhance the cute factor of your house.

Yes, but homemade generally taste better.

That would depend on how well you make homemade graham crackers and how much time you're willing to invest in this project. You're certainly welcome to make them if you'd like!

Although nontoxic glue is not usually harmful, regular consumption is not recommended for obvious reasons. You could use sugar glue instead, which is a kind of baking glue you can find in most grocery stores. It is made for this purpose.

If you can't find the one you'd usually make, it'd be a great idea to give this one a try for a change. You might find you like doing this cute little version such fun it'll become a new tradition in your family.

It is entirely possible to make the gingerbread house two stories high. The masterpiece will need a lot more time and balance in order to stay together. Begin with one story and let it dry before attempting the second story.

Yes. Royal icing is easier because it is thicker and dries faster though. If you would like another alternative be sure to see that it is thick enough to try properly; test it on a few crackers first to see how it sets. Use less moisture/water in the icing sugar when making it.

Certain cultures use ginger in savory ways. Savory means without sweetness. In this case, you would omit any ingredients that add sweetness. However, you may need to adjust the recipe to make sure it still tastes good.