Mixing the wet ingredients: butter, molasses, egg white, brown sugar. A lump of dough from the day before sits in front of Nat, awaiting its Platonic Shmingerbread form. |
Ben's favorite cartoon, "Chowder," was all about making Shmingerbread for Knishmas. So we thought we'd try it, too. We never use a pre-fab house or a kit. We do it all from scratch and turn it into a three-day, all-family wintertime event. |
Nat is pretty good at the egg-separating. |
The templates Ned made for the house. |
Ned carefully trims the pieces. |
Shmingerbread components come out of the oven. |
The frosting is the cement that holds the Shmingerbread house together. |
Finish assembly with royal (pain) icing. Everyone gets in on the act. |
Take a break for kisses. |
Begin the candy features that bring it to life. Each person uses their preferred sugared medium. I like Hershey bar shingles and shutters; Nat likes M&M lights. Ben likes gummy bear inhabitants. Max likes Life Saver shrubbery. Hannah likes Twizzler moldings. Ned likes coconut snow. |
It takes a lot of thought and concentration. And icing glue. |
Discussion sometimes gets heated. |
In the end, it is a work of art. |
Ben takes a taste. |
Looking at it the next day prior to destruction. 'Tis beautiful. |
A Shmingerbread-eating grin. |