Creating gingerbread house is our annual family activity, where even my 4 yo son would participate :) This year was our 3rd year of making vegan gingerbread "house". Here I am sharing you the recipes for vegan gingerbread cookies, royal icing, frozen lake and trees.

The recipe I use for the apartment is not just great for building-making, but also delish to consume.

This year we decided to make an apartment building instead regular style of house.

To see our previous gingerbread houses (from Halloween to villages to a doll house) which are uploaded here on Instructables as well, please click here, here, here, and here.

Step 1: Gingerbread Cookies

2 flax eggs
3 1/4 c flour
1/2 c molasses (divide)
1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp allspice powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp BSoda
A pinch of salt (The spices is depending how strong of flavor you'd like your cookies to be. You may add clove and nutmeg too)
1/2 c brown sugar (light or dark will result in lighter or darker cookies)
8 tbsp shortening

Instruction:

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
Cream shortening and brown sugar in a separate bowl
Beat in 1/4 c molasses
Add in dry mixture a little at a time
Beat in the rest of the molasses
Roll flat and cut as you like (either with cookie cutter or template)
Bake on preheated 350 F for 12-14 mins (10 for softer, if not for making gingerbread house)
Cool on rack completely before decorating.

Step 2: Royal Icing

1 can of aquafaba (from 540 ml canned chickpeas, aquafaba is the water)
7 c of icing sugar (for runny consistency), 9 c for thicker (piping)

Instruction:

Beat aquafaba until frothy, then beat in icing sugar 1 c at a time, until desired thickness is reached

Step 3: Frozen Lake (Hard Candy)

1/2 c water
3/4 c clear corn syrup
1 3/4 sugar

Instruction:

Bring to boil until candy thermometer shows 153 Celsius
Take off from heat, drop in food coloring, stir, then pour on to a mold (made it with aluminum foil, just shape it round, spray with vegetable oil spray)

Step 4: Edible Trees

2 tbsp vegan margarine
250 g vegan marshmallow
3 c Rice Krispies

Instruction:

Melt margarine, stir in marshmallow and cook on medium-high until melted
Stir in Rice Krispies, take off from heat
Mold/roll and cut

Step 5: Apartment-Building

Once your cookies are at room temperature, start decorating as you wish, with whatever medium you like, such as the royal icing, or modeling chocolate, etc.
Let decorated cookies rest overnight or one whole day for best result, then start building
Pipe royal icing on cake board as glue, and with the help of a couple of bottles/jars, to help the walls and whatnot, stand straight. Allow resting time each time you attach something, so it would be strong enough to work on next wall, etc.
You can use runny consistency of royal icing as your snow, but I added desiccated coconut as well, the smell will be wonderful big time, gingery and coconuty :)
I also used vegan friend sprinkles as well as edible marker for drawing.

Step 6: Thanks for Looking :)

I placed the cake board on a Lazy Susan for easy viewing of the whole sides of the walls and whatnot :)