Christmas biscuit house

Here is a simpler version of the traditional gingerbread house which the kids can help put together using store bought favourites.

Australian Good Taste

Photography by Ben Dearnley

• Ingredients

• 80g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture, sifted
• 3 savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)
• 2 Arnott's Hundreds & Thousands biscuits
• 4 Arnott's Tina Wafer biscuits
• 2 Arnott's Iced Vo Vo biscuits
• 2 spearmint leaf lollies
• 1 licorice allsort, halved diagonally
• Icing sugar, extra, to dust

1. Step 1
   Place icing sugar in a bowl. Add enough cold water to make a thick paste. Place in a piping bag fitted with a 4mm plain nozzle.
2. Step 2
   Trim 1 long side from 2 savoiardi biscuits. Trim both long sides from the remaining savoiardi biscuit. Reserve 1 trimmed piece. Pipe icing along the cut sides. Press iced sides of the biscuits together to secure.
3. Step 3
   Place Hundreds & Thousands biscuits, pink-side down, on a clean work surface. Pipe icing along the 2 short sides of each biscuit. Press the edge of 1 wafer into the icing on 1 biscuit. Repeat with another wafer on the opposite side. Top with the remaining Hundreds & Thousands biscuit, icing-side down, to make 4 walls. Set aside until set. Pipe icing along base of the walls. Arrange on top of savoiardi biscuit base and press down gently. Set aside until set.
4. Step 4
   Cut 1 of the remaining wafers in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. Pipe icing along the edge of the long side of each wafer triangle. Press onto the edges of the front and back walls of the house. Set aside until set. Place Iced Vo Vo biscuits, pink-side down, on a clean work surface. Pipe icing along 2 short sides of each biscuit. Press, icing-side down, onto the edges of each wafer triangle to make the roof. Set aside until set. Pipe icing along the cut side of reserved savoiardi biscuit. Place along the roof. Set aside until set.
5. Step 5
   Cut a small square from the remaining wafer to make a door. Pipe icing along the base and place at 1 end of the house. Pipe icing along base of each leaf lolly. Place in front of house to make trees. Pipe icing over the cut side of 1 licorice allsort half. Place on side of roof to make a chimney. Set aside until set. Dust with icing sugar
   Australian Good Taste - December 2008 , Page 10
   Recipe by Reader recipe
   taste.com.au