This was my outset endeavor at a gingerbread house, thence conduct keep the information for what it's worth. I made it upward every bit I went along, piecing together recipes too techniques from all over the identify piece punting the residuum of the way. Mr Chicken Chick helped, which was fourth dimension saving, but he bailed at a reasonable hr of the level every bit normal people necessitate slumber apparently.
View Gingerbread Chicken Coop Tour HERE!
GINGERBREAD DOUGH RECIPE
(I made ii batches for this project)
1 1/4 cups Crisco
1 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
2 cups corn syrup
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ginger
ix cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
MAKE GINGERBREAD
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt Crisco amongst dark-brown carbohydrate too corn syrup until carbohydrate is dissolved. Remove from estrus too cool.
In a large bowl, combine flour & carbohydrate & spices. Add carbohydrate mixture & combine. Expect a crumbly, potent dough that's hard to operate with. When cool plenty to handle, knead until dough comes together.
Form into ii balls, comprehend amongst plastic wrap too allow to residuum for at to the lowest degree 1/2 hr at room temp.
DECORATING SUPPLIES
pocket-size pigment brush
toothpicks
disposable cake decorating bags (I used a separate pocketbook for each color of candy melts)
Wilton decorating tips #5 (for weathervane) too #21 (star), #48 (for siding), #12 (for filling seams on house), tip #104 (for icing roof/melting snowfall & making wreaths)
parchment newspaper or wax paper
Shredded Wheat biscuits (for hay)
Life Cereal (for roof)
Pretzel rods (for roost & tree)
Brown carbohydrate (for dust bath)
Linguine pasta (for chicken legs)
Powdered carbohydrate (for snow)
Brown carbohydrate (for dust bath)
Linguine pasta (for chicken legs)
Powdered carbohydrate (for snow)
Brach's butterscotch hard candies (for windows)
Marzipan candy dough (for molding chickens & eggs)
Chocolate river rocks (for walkway)
Silicone candy molds (for feeder & waterer) I had random molds on-hand, but whatsoever divulge of dissimilar molds volition work. Try these, these or these
While dough rests, impress & cutting out the 3 templates.
Trace templates onto cardboard or a stiff, file-folder type newspaper & cutting out.
Trace templates onto cardboard or a stiff, file-folder type newspaper & cutting out.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets amongst parchment paper.
Roll out dough to 1/4" Place cardboard templates on overstep of dough & cutting out pieces amongst a pizza cutter or large, sudden knife. (I cutting an extra, half-moon window higher upward door on my coop that is non shown inwards template)
Re-roll scraps & cutting out free-form struggle posts if desired. Bake extra parts too pieces of gingerbread that tin live cutting for purpose when the unexpected occurs. (We ended upward cutting pieces to unopen gaps nether the roof & install walls inwards betwixt the nest boxes.)
Transfer to parchment newspaper & bake 12-15 minutes.
Cool completely on baking sheet.
Re-roll scraps & cutting out free-form struggle posts if desired. Bake extra parts too pieces of gingerbread that tin live cutting for purpose when the unexpected occurs. (We ended upward cutting pieces to unopen gaps nether the roof & install walls inwards betwixt the nest boxes.)
Transfer to parchment newspaper & bake 12-15 minutes.
Cool completely on baking sheet.
MAKE WINDOWS
Unwrap a handful of butterscotch candies, identify inwards a ziplock pocketbook & finely crush.
Place cooled gingerbread walls amongst window openings on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, apartment side down. Fill windows amongst candy shards. Bake inwards a preheated 350°F oven until simply melted. It takes entirely a few minutes- scout it similar a hawk. When melted, take away & cool completely on cookie sheet.
ASSEMBLE WALLS
Unwrap a handful of butterscotch candies, identify inwards a ziplock pocketbook & finely crush.
Place cooled gingerbread walls amongst window openings on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, apartment side down. Fill windows amongst candy shards. Bake inwards a preheated 350°F oven until simply melted. It takes entirely a few minutes- scout it similar a hawk. When melted, take away & cool completely on cookie sheet.
ROYAL ICING INGREDIENTS (Wilton recipe)
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
five Tablespoons water
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
five Tablespoons water
MAKE ICING
Place carbohydrate too meringue pulverization inwards stand upward mixer too stir at depression speed.
Add H2O too mix for 7-10 minutes.
Keep covered amongst a damp newspaper towel piece non working amongst it.
Add H2O too mix for 7-10 minutes.
Keep covered amongst a damp newspaper towel piece non working amongst it.
Build the gingerbread coop on a sturdy base. (I used a cake board on overstep of a slice of plywood cutting to size.)
Identify the oculus too front end of the coop. Lay the 4 walls on the board, apartment side facing upward inwards their gauge permanent locations.
Draw a draw of piece of occupation of hot gum on the board the length of the front end wall & affix the wall upright on overstep of the glue. Use cans of nutrient to concord the wall inwards place. Repeat gluing procedure amongst an side past times side wall, gluing seams the walls together. Repeat amongst remaining ii sides.
Draw a draw of piece of occupation of hot gum on the board the length of the front end wall & affix the wall upright on overstep of the glue. Use cans of nutrient to concord the wall inwards place. Repeat gluing procedure amongst an side past times side wall, gluing seams the walls together. Repeat amongst remaining ii sides.
MAKE & INSTALL ROOST: gum ii pretzel rods pieces to flooring & gum a pretzel rod to the overstep of those posts.
MAKE ROOSTING CHICKENS: Mold marzipan into chickens, pigment amongst nutrient color gel & gum to roost.
The hateful solar daytime of the competition, I glued a battery-operated tea low-cal to the within of the coop higher upward the roosts to illuminate the windows & chickens from the inside.
ICE FLOOR OF COOP: Spread violet icing on flooring within coop, sprinkle crushed shredded wheat on overstep of icing.
ATTACH NEST BOX ONTO BACK WALL and gum 3 nest box divider walls inwards place. Ice nest boxes white & comprehend amongst shredded wheat.
RAMP
Use a slice of extra gingerbread to cutting out a ramp, attach niggling rungs of gingerbread. Candy melt chicken poop is non optional. ☺
ATTACH POP DOOR & FRONT DOORS using hot glue.
ICE COOP BARNBOARD: mix cherry-red gel color into some of the icing & pipage onto exterior walls amongst decorating tip #48. Ice from bottom to top. Press barn star into icing higher upward nest box earlier icing dries.
FINISH SEAMS with white icing & tip #12, outline all corners, seams, doors & windows. Pipe Xs on doors & panes on windows.
MAKE BARN STAR: gyre out a pocket-size slice of marzipan & cutting out into shape of a star, dip 1 side inwards gilt sparkling sugar.
SHINGLE ROOF PANELS: Ice a draw of piece of occupation across the bottom border of roof panel & affix Life cereal squares side past times side. Repeat inwards rows, overlapping the row higher upward slightly each time. When coop siding is complete, add together roof panels amongst hot glue.
ATTACH ROOF panels amongst hot glue. With tip #104, pipage melting snowfall onto roof ridge, downwardly roof randomly & along front end of roof. Sprinkle roof amongst powdered sugar.
FENCE get together sections individually amongst hot glue, thence attach struggle to a greater extent than or less run
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
MAKE WEATHERVANE
Tape weathervane template (see template #3, above) onto operate surface. Place parchment newspaper or wax newspaper on overstep & record inwards place. Place cherry-red candy melts inwards a pocket-size bowl too microwave thirty seconds at a time. Remove, stir too repeat inwards thirty 2nd increments until simply melted. (It shouldn't conduct keep to a greater extent than than 2 minutes total. Careful non to over-heat) Fit decorating pocketbook amongst tip #5 & pour candy melts into bag. Trace outline of weathervane & fill upward center. Work speedily earlier candy melts harden.
Candy melts volition harden inwards the piping bag. Remove the metallic tip from piping pocketbook & identify pocketbook dorsum into the microwave for xv 2nd increments (shouldn't conduct keep to a greater extent than than 1 or two). Use a toothpick to build clean out metallic tip earlier replacing.
MAKE FEEDER & WATERER
Water: Base=red candy melts inwards chocolate mold. Top=white candy melts inwards chocolate mold. Water=white decorator's carbohydrate inwards base.
MAKE PLANTERS
Base= cherry-red candy melts inwards candy molds. Leaves= light-green candy melts amongst tip #104 piped onto base. Red berries=red candy melts amongst tip #5
MAKE FEED BAG
Spare slice of gingerbread covered amongst white candy melts, cherry-red too blueish piped on at 3:30 inwards the morn later hitting the dead-tired wall.
MAKE TREE
Pretzel rod, pretzel sticks dipped inwards chocolate candy melts. Anchor amongst light-green candy melts grass.
MAKE WREATHS
Green candy melts piped amongst tip #104 inwards circles on parchment paper. Red candy melts piped onto light-green circles amongst tip #5 I think? Attach to fence, doors too coop amongst a dab of candy melts.
MAKE CHICKENS & EGGS
Marzipan molded past times hand, decorated amongst candy melts or painted amongst nutrient coloring gel.
Rooster's legs=linguine. Attach to base of operations amongst candy melts.
MAKE DUST BATH AREA
Marzipan hen. Legs=linguine. Sand=dark too low-cal dark-brown sugar.
FENCE get together sections individually amongst hot glue, thence attach struggle to a greater extent than or less run
CHICKEN RUN melt nighttime chocolate candy melts & spread on flooring all the agency to a greater extent than or less coop. Add chocolate river rocks to flooring at coop entrance, sprinkle remaining put down surface area amongst shredded wheat
MAKE WEATHERVANE
Tape weathervane template (see template #3, above) onto operate surface. Place parchment newspaper or wax newspaper on overstep & record inwards place. Place cherry-red candy melts inwards a pocket-size bowl too microwave thirty seconds at a time. Remove, stir too repeat inwards thirty 2nd increments until simply melted. (It shouldn't conduct keep to a greater extent than than 2 minutes total. Careful non to over-heat) Fit decorating pocketbook amongst tip #5 & pour candy melts into bag. Trace outline of weathervane & fill upward center. Work speedily earlier candy melts harden.
Candy melts volition harden inwards the piping bag. Remove the metallic tip from piping pocketbook & identify pocketbook dorsum into the microwave for xv 2nd increments (shouldn't conduct keep to a greater extent than than 1 or two). Use a toothpick to build clean out metallic tip earlier replacing.
Water: Base=red candy melts inwards chocolate mold. Top=white candy melts inwards chocolate mold. Water=white decorator's carbohydrate inwards base.
Feeder: Top & bottom=white candy melts inwards candy molds. Carve out centers slightly. Attach overstep to bottom amongst candy melts. Fill amongst existent chicken scratch or other grains.
Base= cherry-red candy melts inwards candy molds. Leaves= light-green candy melts amongst tip #104 piped onto base. Red berries=red candy melts amongst tip #5
Spare slice of gingerbread covered amongst white candy melts, cherry-red too blueish piped on at 3:30 inwards the morn later hitting the dead-tired wall.
Pretzel rod, pretzel sticks dipped inwards chocolate candy melts. Anchor amongst light-green candy melts grass.
Green candy melts piped amongst tip #104 inwards circles on parchment paper. Red candy melts piped onto light-green circles amongst tip #5 I think? Attach to fence, doors too coop amongst a dab of candy melts.
Marzipan molded past times hand, decorated amongst candy melts or painted amongst nutrient coloring gel.
Rooster's legs=linguine. Attach to base of operations amongst candy melts.
NEST BOXES
Shredded wheat inwards bottom of nest boxes. Marzipan eggs colored amongst nutrient coloring gel.
Marzipan hen. Legs=linguine. Sand=dark too low-cal dark-brown sugar.
Follow gingerbread chicken coop instructions higher upward OR...get some slumber too purchase a Gingerbread Barn Kit at a Tractor Supply shop or online at TractorSupply.com . ☺
