How To Properly Melt Sugar For The Sturdiest Gingerbread House

When the holiday season rolls around, there are so many fun rituals that you can do with your family around the house to make the holidays feel special. You can decorate your front lawn with festive lights, make holiday ornaments, or decorate a tree. One of the best holiday rituals of them all is gathering with your loved ones to make a gingerbread house. These gorgeous little festive buildings are made from dough, so they can be tricky to keep from crumbling. However, you can easily ensure the structural integrity of your gingerbread house by properly melting granulated sugar and using it like glue for your gingerbread pieces.

Simply pour some granulated sugar in a skillet on your stove and let the sugar cook over a light flame. Let the sugar melt until it turns brown, then turn off your heat so it remains sweet and delicious. Grab each piece of your gingerbread house, submerge the border of each piece into the melted sugar like it's glue, then press each piece together so that the sugary adhesive makes them stick together, and you're all set. So what is it about that melted sugar that allows your gingerbread house pieces to not break apart?

In its solidified form, sugar is made up of tightly bonded carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. However, when you melt solid sugar it becomes a liquid, and the hydrogen atoms detach from the carbon and oxygen molecules in search of something else to connect to. Those hydrogen atoms will then adhere to the nearest surface, which is what makes sugar so sticky in its melted form.

After you've lined the edges of your gingerbread house pieces with melted sugar, the sugar will actually solidify again. The hardened sugar will essentially glue your gingerbread house pieces together so that they remain strongly affixed to each other. Although melting granulated sugar and using it like an adhesive is one great way to build the sturdiest gingerbread house, there are other quick and easy methods you can use to make sure your gingerbread house doesn't fall apart.

Icing is typically used to hold a gingerbread house together. However, icing usually isn't very durable. As a longer-lasting alternative, you can actually melt marshmallows and use the sweet-tasting gooey result like glue for your gingerbread house. Similarly to melted granulated sugar, the gummy marshmallow will harden on your gingerbread house pieces, which will keep the structure of the gingerbread house intact.

However, if you love icing and would prefer to use that ingredient, then skip the store-bought gingerbread house icing and opt for a DIY icing that will make your gingerbread house indestructible. Combine granulated sugar, egg whites, and cream of tartar to make a strong icing that will ensure your gingerbread house is built to last. Now that you know your gingerbread house will never come apart, you can get ambitious and even try making an over-the-top gingerbread house. Just make sure you melt your sugar properly if that's the edible glue that you're going to use to keep it sturdy.