Gingerbread Houses: Good enough to eat

I've always been in love with gingerbread houses and am simply amazed at how creative and complex these sugary masterpieces can be. From sweet little traditional gum-drop confections to full-on architectural masterpieces, there is something for everyone here:

Eiffel Tower, Paris

 Old State House in Boston

Falling Water, Pennsylvania

Sydney Opera House, Australia

The "Painted Ladies" San Francisco. Probably the most perfect subject to capture in gingerbread. 

The White House in some of its many sugary iterations. Note you can tell the vintage of pictures by which presidential dog(s) takes center stage: 

While gingerbread houses are very popular here in the States, their beginnings stretch back to medieval Europe. The German recipes tended towards harder cookies which made them sturdier for architectural use.  The city of Bergen, Norway holds an annual "Pepperkakebyen" or Gingerbread City build done by townspeople - it must be something to see:

 Additional images and all credits can be found here. 

Maybe if I start now, I'll build something by next year! Meanwhile, here are a few books to get us started.



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