Who Knew Making a Haunted Gingerbread House Would be so Hard? #goodcookcom #goodcookkitchenexprt #sweetcreations

Disclosure:  I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.

Have you ever made a gingerbread house from scratch for Christmas?  How about one for Halloween?  I have always been intimidated by all the steps and detail that has to go into decorating a gingerbread.  Because of this, I will either buy a gingerbread house already put together that just needs to be decorated, or if pressed for time, will buy one already decorated.  I know what you are saying, "What is the fun in a pre-baked and molded gingerbread house?"  Well, if you have never made one, once you do, you will see why I and so many others choose this route. :-)

Example of what your Sweet Creations by Good Cook Haunted House could look like.

Remember how I said I would be sharing more Good Cook challenges with you?  Well, this weekend and the better of Monday and Tuesday, I spent time trying to made a gingerbread house.  Instead of making a gingerbread dough, I opted for a sugar cookie one, as the girls are not big fans of gingerbread.  Preparing the dough was a breeze, and made me think I was stressing too much over making a homemade gingerbread house.  But, once I started using the molds to create the house pieces, I could see the problems starting.  I wasn't sure how thick each piece should be, and once they were baked up, either they bubbled up or thinned out, thus not matching each other. Ugg. 

Once the royal icing was made, I sat down to attempt to put together my Halloween Haunted House.  This is where the frustration set in and the days of working on this challenge from Good Cook drew long and tiresome.  I ended up making 3 sugar cookie houses, one right after another, after they either broke or fell apart.  Finally, on my fourth attempt, I was able to get the front, back and two sides to stay together.  With the support of plastic cups to hold the sides in place while they dried, I finally thought there was an end in sight.  Then, came the roof. Double Ugg!

After struggling a bit more, the roof was finally up.  Even though it was a little lop sided, it was still a roof.  I let it dry for awhile, and gathered up all the candies and decorations I was going to have the girls help me put on the haunted house.  But, when I came back and started adding the candy corn to the roof, all the roof pieces collapsed inside the house.  About to through in the towel, I decided to take a more crafty approach to this Sweet Creations by Good Cook Halloween Challenge.  After a quick trip to the craft store, I came back with Halloween duct tape, a cardboard witches hat and an assortment of foam stickers.  Hoping that this would fix my roofless haunted house.  

Well, after 4 attempts and over 3 days of working on my Sweet Creations Haunted House, I finally finished.  And, I have to say, it looks pretty good.  Don't you think?  Even though it is not what you would expect from a candy coated gingerbread house, it serves the purpose, and the girls love it, as do I! :-)

Want to give making a Halloween Haunted House from scratch?  Then, I would highly suggest picking up the Sweet Creations by Good Cook 7 Piece Haunted House Cutter Set.  

This set includes 3 cutters, 2 rollers and 2 stamps to help you create a spooky or playful haunted house.  While I struggled with my haunted house, so many other Good Cook experts had success with theirs.  I guess with a little more practice I will master making a gingerbread house.  But, in the meantime, I will continue to pick up pre-made gingerbread houses to decorate at home.  With toddlers at home, this option is much more convenient, as it is less stressful and doesn't take up too much time (only the time needed to decorate the house, which the girls love helping me with.)

If you do get a chance to pick up the Haunted House Cutter Set from Good Cook, I would love to see your Sweet Creation.  So, be sure to either post it to your social media pages and tagging me in it, leave a comment below with a link to a post showing off your creation, or simply email a photo.  I do have to say that even though this challenge was truly a challenge, it was fun.  And, now the girls are counting down the days until we make Christmas gingerbread houses. :-)  Who knows?  Maybe I will find time in the coming month I will practice more with the Good Cook 7 Piece Haunted House Cutter Set and find the confidence needed to make a homemade Christmas gingerbread house. We will see... :-)


Don't forget to follow Good Cook on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on new product additions, special offers and more.

---BUY NOW---

You can pick up the 7 Piece Sweet Creations by Good Cook Haunted House Cutter Set right now from the Good Cook website for only $20.59.  And, make sure you use coupon code "HUNTED23" to save 25% off any Sweet Creations Halloween product available at goodcook.com.  This includes the Haunted Cupcake Display (which I reviewed last week) and the Halloween Cake Pops Press, both great Halloween themed products that are easy to use. :-)

If gingerbread houses aren't your thing, why not pick up the popcorn ball maker or even the pumpkin carving and Stencil set, to help make a Sweet Creation with your children this Halloween?

Disclosure:  I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.