Candy Houses

Shirlee and Lina 2009 This is Shirlee when she was about 10 years old! Candy Houses
When I was growing up I looked forward to the Christmas season because it meant making candy houses with my mom. We did this since I was a little girl and we always took it to school and let our classmates enjoy it. I remember buying a large bag of Brach’s candy that we carefully selected for our roof, around the windows and the sidewalk. What a great tradition she started and I plan to continue with my grandchildren.		Total Time: 3 hours for 2 people
1 shoe box Heavy cardboard base (about 4” larger than your house) Additional cardboard for roof	Prepare a base for your house. Use a piece of heavy cardboard covered with foil. You will want to be able to move the entire structure easily. Using a shoebox as your base, construct a house. You may have to use additional cardboard for the roof and the chimney. Use your imagination!
ICING 1 lb. powdered sugar 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 3 egg whites	Beat until very stiff. Keep a moist towel covering the bowl at all times to prevent it from hardening while you are working on the house.
Assorted wrapped candy (make sure you get enough of one type for the roof.) 1 small Santa and reindeer set (chocolate wrapped in foil works well)	Once the house is constructed, apply a generous layer of icing to one section at a time. Apply wrapped candy immediately, let dry for about 30 minutes before working on another section. Continue until the house is finished. Using a cake decorating bag with assorted tips filled with the icing put the finishing touches around the edges of the roof, sides of the house and chimney. Place a Santa and reindeer set on the roof and secure with the icing.
	We have used photos of the child the candy house is for, putting them in the windows. If they have pets, you can add pictures of them too. Have fun!