This winter I wanted to have a go at the traditional gingerbread house, thick with sweets and sugar snow, so naturally, that meant prototyping. I needed a test piece to determine 3 things.

1. Is the ginger biscuit recipe I picked going to produce structurally stable pieces? (I opted for my sister’s recipe in the end as it seemed the tastiest and most durable, especially when slightly overcooked)

2. How much will said ginger biscuits shrink or expand during cooking?

3. Is royal icing alone going to be enough to stick my house together or will additional supports be needed?

And here are the results:

1. The biscuits are perfect for my purposes.

2. Larger pieces expand less than smaller ones while cooking.

3. Royal icing is sufficient with a little patience.

So with testing out of the way, I can start the planning for the real thing!