WASHINGTON TERRACE -- A house with a gumdrop fence, peppermint windows, a licorice roof and cookie walls may be the dream abode for many children, but for special needs students in Weber School District, a group of edible houses means more than satisfying a sweet tooth. The gingerbread houses made by Bonneville High School's World Languages Club have been helping raise money for their educational supplies.
"It is good for students to be a part of everything they can ... it is a very worthy cause," Spanish teacher Lisa Hancock said of her students' project to make gingerbread houses for the Weber School District Foundation's Christmas Tree Jubilee at the Ogden Eccles Center this week.
The Weber School District Web site said the money raised at the Christmas Tree Jubilee from donated trees and crafts is spent on educational supplies, special wheelchairs and other devices to make education more accessible to special needs children.
Bonneville's World Languages Club has members from Italy, Brazil, China, Japan, England, Mexico and Utah who are taking Chinese, German and Spanish courses at the school. For them, service couldn't have been sweeter. Brook Cashmore, 16, used a Reese's theme. She wrapped Hershey's bars, candy canes, gum drops and lollipops in Reese's wrappers before putting them on her house.
"I like Reese's and I didn't want the same thing as everyone else," said Cashmore, who came for the extra credit.
Sheyenne Norberg, 15, said the early morning meetings helped her get out of winter hibernation and finally learn how to make a gingerbread house that stays up.
"I've attempted to do this before ... (I've learned) it's whatever you feel like or want going off the idea of previous gingerbread houses," she said.
Hancock said the project was her idea. She has made gingerbread houses with her family for years and thought it would be a fun way for her students to contribute to the Christmas Tree Jubilee. She said they have come up with things she's never seen before.
"I would never do some of these things. I've learned I've been boring over the years," she said.
Hancock's 17-year-old daughters Aimee and Amber quickly assembled houses like professionals. They recommend first decorating the walls, putting them together and then adding the roof.
"You have to use a lot of frosting. Don't put too much stuff on it or it will fall. Other than that, it should turn out," Aimee said.
One group of students asked Chinese teacher Zhang Yingying, who is teaching in America for a year, to include Chinese characters on their house. She wrote good luck in Chinese because she said those characters are commonly used as a decoration for the Chinese Spring Festival, which reminds her of Christmas.
"It's great. I came from China. I only saw gingerbread houses while window shopping. This was my first time to make one. I have a deeper understanding. The most beautiful part is not to have the house but to enjoy the process and making it with the family where each family member contributes," Yingying said.
Aimee Hancock said it's a tradition that is long lasting.
"You can eat it, but they last a long time," she said, "We gave our grandma one two years ago and she still has it."
Gingerbread dough recipe
2/3 cup molasses
1/3 brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
¬½ cup oil
2 ¾ cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
¬½ tsp. salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
Mix first four ingredients together. Sift dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly with the molasses mixture. Dough should pliable and not sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap or in place in a closed container. Chill for several hours or overnight. Lightly oil an 11x17-inch cookie sheet. Press dough into pan and roll with a lightly floured rolling pin. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. While dough is hot, cut pieces for house. Then with the oven turned off, put gingerbread in oven until it is cool. Bake again for five minutes, turn oven off and leave again until oven cools to harden the gingerbread. Assemble with royal icing.
Gingerbread house icing
3 egg whites (room temperature)
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Beat all ingredients at high speed for 7-10 minutes. Use immediately.
Recipes courtesy of Lisa Hancock
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