Gingerbread greenhouse

Melt the sugar, syrup and butter in a saucepan and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Beat in the eggs by hand.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and pour all the liquid into the middle. Work into a dough, first with a wooden spoon and then kneading by hand for a few minutes.

Divide the dough into six pieces and flatten them. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Set the oven temperature to 175°C.

Roll the dough out into rectangles and cut about 1 cm outside the line of the template (this is because the pieces will shrink slightly during baking). Make sure all the pieces on the baking sheets are the same size, otherwise they will need different baking times.

Remove the pieces from the oven as soon as they are golden. Carefully cut out the windows and frames while the gingerbread is still warm, then allow to cool.

To assemble with caramel: Use a cutting board or tray to build the house on. Heat a frying pan on a moderate heat. Sprinkle thin layers of sugar into the pan until it melts, then continue until all the sugar has melted to an amber-coloured caramel. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and turn down the heat to the lowest setting.

Start by attaching the windows, i.e. the gelatine sheets. Start with the 16 sheets that will form the greenhouse roof. Drizzle caramel around the window edge and gently press the gelatine sheet into place, be careful, do not touch the caramel. Do the same with the other windows.
Then assemble one end wall and one side wall by drizzling caramel along the sides and sticking them together. The end wall should be outermost. It is easiest for two people to assemble the house together.

Dip the short side of the opposite end wall in the caramel and attach it to the same side wall. Now you have a stable three-sided structure. If you like, put an LED light string and green pots inside the house, making sure the lead is long enough to reach your electrical socket.

Dip the short sides of the second side wall in the caramel and attach it to the end walls.
Then attach the doors so that they stand ajar.

Attach the windows at the top, using the inner part of the gingerbread to prop open the skylights.

Royal icing: Beat the egg whites with the icing sugar to make a stiff meringue mixture. Pipe fluffy snow formations along the gables and in the lower windows.

You can find templates for the greenhouse here »