The Gingerbread Queen
Baker and cookbook author Nikki Wills discusses her love of making gingerbread houses and reminisces about her experience on Food Network’s Holiday Gingerbread Showdown.
How did you get started baking gingerbread houses?
My mom began making them when I was an infant using a published recipe by former White House executive chef Hans Raffert. It makes delicious, hardy gingerbread that’s perfect for constructing all sorts of creations. Around Thanksgiving every year when I was growing up, my mom and I would start making gingerbread houses for ourselves and our friends and family, including my classmates and my dad’s fellow engineers at the Air Force Institute of Technology; she would make me wait until Christmas to eat mine. I have many fond memories of those times.
When did you first bake gingerbread on your own?
I began to miss gingerbread while studying for my first-semester finals at Vassar College. I asked the administration if I could use the mixer in the dining hall and was told that the pastry kitchen wasn’t used on Sundays. I was granted run of the entire facility, including the giant mixers and professional ovens. Following my mom’s recipe, I made a gingerbread house that my friends and I decorated; I also gifted each of my professors their own.
What are your tips for making gingerbread houses?
The dough must be thick and sturdy, and you shouldn’t rush through mixing it. It also helps to have a good mixer. I love my 13.5-liter professional one—I can prepare a triple batch of dough in it.
When assembling a gingerbread house, it’s helpful to put the walls up first, pipe your icing to secure them, and let them air-dry overnight so they’ll be extra sturdy; you can then put your roof on the next day. Royal icing is essential for constructing gingerbread houses because as it hardens, it glues everything together. It is usually made with raw egg whites, but you can also substitute powdered egg whites, meringue powder, or aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
You moved from the United States to St. Albans, England, a few years ago. What inspired you to make gingerbread likenesses of the pubs there?
The pubs are lovely and serve as family-friendly community living rooms, so I wanted to honor them in gingerbread form. Plus, I enjoy having an elaborate project to work on in addition to my usual baking during the holiday season. A couple of years ago, I made a gingerbread house of the Robin Hood Pub. It was later served at the pub during a big party, which I really appreciated—especially since I didn’t have to eat all that gingerbread myself. [Laughs]
What was it like competing on Food Network’s Holiday Gingerbread Showdown?
Terrific, especially because my mom was my baking partner. We competed against two other competitors in nine total rounds—we won the tasting challenge but eventually lost. We both had a blast, even though the competition’s chaos and time constraints were challenging.
I always enjoy myself when making gingerbread houses. It’s hard to have a bad time while making a giant cookie house and decorating it with crazy amounts of candy.
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