Windows for Gingerbread house

Gingerbread House Windows can turn an ordinary house into a special one. And windows made to look like they have stained glass can turn your gingerbread house into a spectacular one!

The method used most often by competitors in gingerbread house contests is gelatin sheets (or leaf gelatin). More on this below. .

Melted lifesavers or jolly ranchers work fine and add a splash of color, but the pros swear by Braches butterscotches and the nice yellow glow is perfect for a warm and cozy.

Here's how to melt the candy into "glass"...

1. As you're cutting your gingerbread pieces, make sure to cut out windows before you bake them.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or keep it at this temperature.)
3. After the gingerbread pieces have cooled, place those needing windows on a clean piece of aluminum foil or a parchment-lined pan.
4. Place butterscotch discs into a zip lock bag and crush/crumble with a rolling pin, mallet, or other hard surface.
5. Place the butterscotch crumbles into the window holes, until they look well-filled. Estimating how much you'll need takes practice, so it's a good idea to start with a one-window gingerbread piece at first and see how it goes.
6. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes, checking often. Remove each piece immediately when it's candy has melted.
7. Wait to remove the gingerbread wall from the aluminum foil until the window has dried completely (overnight is best.)

Photo by Angie Walton 2002

If desired, use icing to form window panes within each window. Create shutters with cookies, sticks of gum, or the gingerbread pieces that were removed when cutting the windows. Add flowers and a window box

Gelatin Sheets (or Leaf Gelatin)

Gelatin sheets (or leaf gelatin) is a specialized product that's used by bakers in jellied dishes and for fine decorating details like butterfly wings and other translucent decorations. It's absolutely perfect for gingerbread house windows! Leaf gelatin even includes diamond-shaped panes within each window, great for Victorian gingerbread houses such as this one below.

Simply glue the gelatin sheets to the inside of the windows with icing or, better yet, melted sugar before constructing the house.

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Other options for windows ...

Melted candy looks the best, but there are other, easier methods.

• "Glue" celophane to the inside of each gingerbread house window opening with icing.
• Use icing to "glue" fruit roll-ups or other colorful sheet candies to the insides.
• Leave them plain and open. If you light the house from the inside with small christmas lights attached to the house' base, they won't show up through the windows anyway.
• You can even melt butterscotches or other candy and just pour the melted mixture into blobs on wax paper. Then, attach them to the inside of the windowed walls with icing "glue".
• If you forget or don't want to cut windows out of the gingerbread, simply attach candies in window shapes to the finished walls or use icing to draw windows on. I've seen Hershey's chocolate bars used for window panes that looks terrific. The house just looks like the lights are turned off, especially good if the outside of the house is very light-colored.

Try varying the window shapes for even more appeal. Circles, half-rounds, diamonds, hearts, and thin tall rectangles all add a special touch to your gingerbread house windows.

Lighting your Gingerbread House