GINGERBREAD BUNNY HUT

NEEDED:

• Gingerbread House - PRE-MADE -or- MAKE-YOUR-OWN -or- House candy mold (make the house out of chocolate instead of gingerbread!)#1423-1/1423-2
• Royal Icing: 2 pounds, Tint colors shown, light to dark shades, as desired...add more food coloring for darker shades.
• Buttercream Icing for cookies. Don't use buttercream icing on the house or it might soften and collapse.
• Food coloring: White and Forest Green, Super Brown
• Merckens Coating chocolate: for white fence, veggies, bunnies
• Tiny icing flowers
• Fence Mold #90-13683
• Vegatable candy molds #90-13322
• Bunny molds about 2" tall #90-2133, #432 or of choice.
• Cake cardboard 4-6" larger than house, I suggest you use two for better support. Wrap in foil and tape underneath.
• Decorating tips: #149 small leaf, #5 for fill-in on roof
• Decorating bags, tips set. You may want a tip 2 for 'vines' or other trims.
• Oero cookies crushed for "dirt" in garden
• Tiny candies of choice, such as gumballs, jelly beans etc. for tomatoes, veggies etc. You could use jelly beans in the garden for veggies then just add green stems or leaves etc.
• Shredded Wheat biscuits for the roof
• Straight pretzels for the veggies on sticks in the garden.
• Long licorice for house trim
• Jelly beans for the tomatoes etc.
• Square cookies iced brown and sprinkled with crushed Oreo cookies

DIRECTIONS:

• Using the fence candy mold and white coating chocolate, make the fence pieces ahead of time.
• Make and assemble house per pattern directions using royal icing the same color as the house pieces. Ice house white using royal icing. Let dry overnight. Add the roof. NOTE: If using a chocolate mold and chocolate to make the house, it can be used immediately after assembled. If using white chocolate, there will be no need to ice the house.
• Ice the entire surface of the foil covered cardboards a very pastel green.
• Place the house on the cardboard. Decorate roof with shredded wheat biscuits secured with royal icing. Secure house trims using royal icing.
• Place house on a cake cardboard large enough to accomodate your chosen house. It should be about 4-6 inches longer than the bunny house.
• Make the veggies for the garden. These can be made ahead of time if using candy molds, or you can use marzipan, or even buttercream icing. If using buttercream, stiffen the icing by adding confectioner's sugar until it won't stick to your hands. Tint appropriate colors. Roll icing into a ball and shape as desired. Place in your "garden" and add tip #149 tiny stems.
• Make stems and leaves on house all around. Add tiny sprinkle flowers.
• Ice "garden cookies" brown and sprinkle Oreo crumbs on before icing dries.
• For the "tomatoes" on vines, pipe green icing on stick pretzels, put in place in garden and press candies into the icing.