Thursday will be National Hard Candy Day and National Gingerbread House Day was just celebrated last Thursday. Thus, here’s Mom’s “Christmas Candy House” instructions, which she originally shared with her readers 50 years ago.
CHRISTMAS CANDY HOUSE
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in her self-published newsletter, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov.-Dec.1990, Issue #147; p. 6)..
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share this.]
Every Christmas, while the children were growing up, I would decorate a candy house for them. It was entirely edible [except for the cardboard structure] and always a welcomed tradition in our house. The recipe for this unique treat was [first] included in the mimeographed Christmas Cookbook that we did in 1974. Here is that recipe!
INGREDIENTS (for frosting):
¼ cup cornstarch
4-lbs. powdered sugar
Food coloring, assorted [colors]
¾ cup hot water
1TB almond extract
[*Egg whites, slightly beaten (optional)]
OTHER ITEMS/CANDY NEEDED (for construction/detailing of house/yard):
Large shoe box
poster board
Masking [or painter’s] tape
Toothpicks
Tinfoil
Cookie sheet [or tray]
Scissors
[Bag of] assorted hard [Christmas] candy…
Necco Wafers…
A few pointed-end ice cream cones…
[Assorted colors of] gum drops…
Lollipops
INSTRUCTIONS:
Blend all [frosting] ingredients together, adding water a little at a time to give the mixture a spreading consistency, beating in extract also. Beat until it is very smooth. Place in top of double boiler, over gently simmering water, just to keep frosting mixture warm. Stir it frequently to keep it from caking around the inside of the pan…
[Construct] a thick cardboard box that measures about 8×10-inches on two sides and about 4×8-inches on the two ends. (A large shoe box will do!) Cut a rectangle [8”x10”] of similar strength cardboard, creasing it in the center to bend (poster board works well), for the roof, as shown in the drawing above.
The roof will be attached to the box with masking tape, holding it securely in place. Do likewise with two triangular pieces of cardboard to fill in the ends of the roof. After taping it well together, place it on a foil covered tray or cookie sheet.
Secure sides to foil with more masking tape, which you’ll be covering with the prepared frosting mixture, so the tape will not be showing. Dab a little icing on bottom of box, to keep it from slipping around, then coat [the box] completely with a thin layer of the icing.
Work quickly. Place hard Christmas candies on iced surface with additional icing for windows and doors and shutters. Use square [and oval] candy for windows, rectangle shapes for shutters, and waffle cut candies in rows for the door. Let icing drip over roof edge to look like snow and icicles. Color part of the icing if you wish.
THE ROOF will be made with Necco Wafers, overlapping them row-by-row, beginning at the lower edge of the roof, at the top of the house [walls], and working up to the top of the roof, where it is creased. Apply as much frosting to the Necco candies as needed to make them stick well in place.
If a little of the icing appears to ooze out between candies, don’t worry. It will appear to look like snow, when all is said and done. The cornstarch in the frosting will help [the icing/frosting] to dry quickly.
*Egg whites can be slightly beaten and also worked into the frosting to give it more of a shine and cause it also to dry more quickly, if you wish. Use about 1 egg white for every 2 cups of prepared frosting.
Inverted ice cream cones can be frosted with green tinted frosting for pine trees and these can be placed around the sides of the house. Green gumdrops make nice shrubs, as well as small lollipops with the sticks inserted into gum drops for additional landscaping.
[NOTE: 3 white gum drops can be stacked and secured together with a toothpick. Another toothpick can be inserted crosswise through the center gum drop to form arms. Add red rope licorice for a scarf and a black gum drop can be set on top of the white ones for a top hat, to resemble Frosty.]
LAST THOUGHTS…
For questions or comments, you can email me at [email protected]. I’m also on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
For homemade hard candy, see also:
