I am a huge fan of homemade sugar scrub recipes for two reasons. The first is that they are so easy to put together. They literally take me five minutes. Second, you get to control the scent. After the success of my Cucumber Green Tea Sugar Scrub that I made as diy gift ideas during Mother’s Day, I thought it would be a snap to pull together some Winter scents. I was definitely right. This Milk & Honey Sugar Scrub Recipe smells and looks like new fallen snow. Plus, sugar scrubs are packaged beautifully in mason jars and I made it extra cute with these snowman hats.
I know everyone has seen a Christmas Gingerbread House, but how about a Valentine’s Day house? Children of all ages are fascinated with these simple structures and they can be decorated in an afternoon, if you’re not counting baking time. They make the perfect Valentine Dessert that your children are sure to remember.
Valentine Dessert: Sugar House
I know everyone has seen a Christmas Gingerbread House, but how about a Valentine’s Day house? Children of all ages are fascinated with these simple structures and they can be decorated in an afternoon, if you’re not counting baking time. They make the perfect Valentine Dessert that your children are sure to remember.
Valentine Dessert: Sugar House
To start off making the sugar house, you’ll need to make your cookie dough. I do not refrigerate it. I roll the dough out on the back of cookie sheets sprayed with baking spray. Next, you’ll cut your pattern out of parchment paper. After cutting out my pieces I put the cookie sheets in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. This helps to keep the dough from spreading, which will make your house easier to put together. Sugar cookie dough really likes to spread so you absolutely need to do this. If you are making a more complicated house than the one shown here, after baking I would lay my pattern on top of the baked pieces and trim them back to the pattern size so the edges are straight.
I couldn’t believe my luck when I was in Home Good’s one day and they had this wonderful gingerbread cookie cutter set. This is the fifth one I have made since I bought them. It makes cutting out the houses quick and easy. You can see here how I roll my dough out on the cookie sheet.
After baking the house pieces, remove the pieces and place on a wire rack to cool. Let the pieces air dry at least a day before decorating. I prefer three days when I have the time. Then it is time to mix up your icing to glue it all together.
Wait, you did go out and buy a bunch of Valentine’s candy didn’t you? Some of my favorites are candy corn, jelly hearts and conversation hearts. I looked all over for the large conversation hearts and couldn’t find them, they would make a great roof decoration. I basically buy anything that is pink, red or white and then figure out where I am going from there. I also bake some heart shaped cookies for a fence or smaller hearts to shingle the roof. The only thing stopping you is your imagination.
When assembling the house, depending on how you are going to do your roof ridge, you might want to do what I do. I don’t butt my two pieces up together tightly to form a peak. I leave a little valley so I can have a flat surface there to put my candy on. This makes it easier to support the candy if it is too heavy.
At the last minute I decided I wanted some valentine heart flowers and since I still had green frosting in my decorator bag, I got out a piece of parchment paper and some linguine… Yep, linguine. The flower stems were so thin, I worried they would break from the weight when they had to support themselves. It was a good call because the only one I did without the piece of linguine, broke. So break up a few pieces of linguine about 2 inches or less. Cover them with the green royal icing on the parchment, make a few leaves and then stick your heart candies on. Make sure to let it dry. It takes about 4 hours so make them ahead with the bushes and trees if you can. They add a great touch of whimsy I think.
Add the rest of the ingredients one at a time in order of appearance on the list, mixing each thoroughly.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness on the back of a greased cookie sheet.
Cut into desired shapes. Refrigerate on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes.
Bake on a greased cookie sheet 10 to 12 minutes in a 350ºF oven.
This recipe was modified from this one to adapt to making a Sugar Cookie House http://thatsmyhome.com/hannahs/cutout-cookies/ This recipe makes enough dough to make a large gingerbread house. Use the extra dough to make some rolled out cookies that the kids can decorate.
For the Royal Icing:
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes (10-12 minutes at high speed for portable mixer) until icing forms peaks. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth when not in use.
Yields 3 cups of icing.
Note: Royal icing should have good body and be moderately stiff: It will not create a lasting bond if too runny and soft. For snow, I sometimes add a few drops of Karo Syrup to thin it just a little for a softer look.
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If you’re looking for something a bit faster, but just as gorgeous be sure to check out my Raspberry Cupcakes. They make the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.
Crafts & DIY
Mary Ellen is the writer and creator of That’s My Home, Recipes, Food and Cooking, and Razzle, Dazzle Recipes. Mary Ellen loves to cook and bake and learned to cook watching her grandmother, mom and aunts in her grandmother’s busy kitchen. It was a magical place where it seemed as if the pot never emptied and there was always room at the table for one more. It seems only natural that she would love to cook and bake so much. She worked in her uncle’s restaurant all through school and continued on a culinary path for about 15 years including being a pastry chef at a big hotel. She even owned a bakery for a short time.
The season of gift giving and thanking those who do so much for us throughout the year is here. Let’s be honest, it can definitely get expensive. Especially when there are so many people in your life that make a difference. My family is extremely fortunate to have a loving and supportive extended family on both sides of our family. There are times that I’m not sure that they all know how much we truly appreciate them. I’ve always found that I search endlessly for the perfect gift. This year, I’ve decided it’s not about searching in the stores. I’m making it an easy diy gift giving holiday. These Easy DIY Gift Ideas are a fabulous start!
Hey, I’m Jenny! As a working mom, I understand the importance of saving time and money. My hope is that my blog brings you countless resources for great, fast recipes and easy cleaning, health and DIY tips. MORE ABOUT ME »
