Christmas cookie tree and gingerbread house

HOUSTON -- This is a fun project that you can get the kids involved in. It is fun to make and really yummy to eat. Take your time and let the kids get creative, be sure to have your camera ready you will want to take lots of pictures.

Items Needed

Wilton Gingerbread House kit

Wilton Christmas tree cookie cutter kit

Wilton buttercream icing in a pouch

Wilton decorative sprinkles

Betty Croker gingerbread dough

Flour

Rolling pin

Piece of cardboard

Cans of food (this is used to hold the gingerbreadhouse together while it dries)

Start with the Christmas tree cookie kit, you can use gingerbread dough or sugar dough, I personally like the gingerbread dough. Mix the dough as directed on the packaged and roll it out on a floured surface.

Start with the little star shaped cookie cutters and cut two of each. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake as directed. Let all of the cookies cool completely, about an hour. You can cover the cookies with Wilton royal icing, but if you are going to cover the whole tree with the buttercream icing then you don't need to do the extra work.

Start putting the tree together by using a quarter size dab of the buttercream icing on each cookie and layering them (you will want to use a little more for the bigger cookies), be sure to stack the cookies with the points of the stars not matching the star cookie direc tly below it. Once they are all stacked, let it dry about an hour before you start to decorate, remember the little star is for the top of the tree and you can decorate it with the Wilton royal icing, I used white.

Now it is time to decorate the tree, use the star tip that comes with the decorating icing. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Start by placing the tip in the middle of a crease on the cookie tree and press the pouch and pull the tube towards you, be sure to stop pressing as you get close to the end so you will have a nice point on the tip. Do about 3-4 lines of icing on each tree limb (star tip). Add decorative sprinkles as you go because the icing dries quickly. Add the star at the top with some of the

decorative icing and let the whole tree dry for a c ouple of hours, then enjoy!

To decorate the gingerbread house, follow the building instructions in the package, be sure to knead the icing pouch as directed, it is very important. Use a plastic cup to place your decorating pouch with tip in, it makes it easier to fill. Place the full cans of food onto the cardboard before you start to build it, this will hold the house together with its weight. You could also use a pie ce of yarn around the house as you build it. Let the icing on the house dry for at least a hour before you start to decorate it. Add more decorations with the Wilton gingerbread house decorating kit. Special Thanks to Crafting with Adeina for this post. Visit her website for more holiday DIY's: http://www.craftingwithadeina.com/