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I recently made a gingerbread house that looked like a barn. I used my favorite construction grade gingerbread recipe and cut out all the pieces using the templates I created.
Once I finished the barn, I started making a bunch of fun animals (cows, chickens, sheep, and pigs). I even had a creepy looking tree. The last addition I created was a tractor. I made the entire thing out of construction grade gingerbread and I’d like to share my process.
Materials:
Aluminum Foil
Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Drill
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Admittedly, I didn’t take a ton of great photos. This was a last minute addition to my project and I was more focused on speedy completion than good photography. Hopefully, I can still explain the steps well enough.
I started with my construction grade gingerbread (recipe here). I rolled it out and used my round cookie cutters to cut out a bunch of different sized circles. I drew up a rough layout of what I ended up with.
I cut out 6 larger circles, 6 medium circles, and 4 small circles. Of the 6 large circles, I cut the center out of 2 of them, and of the 6 medium circles, I did the same thing with 2 of them. I used my power drill and respective drill bit to remove the centers.
Not sure how well I explained that, but the result looked like this when stacked the way I wanted. Three large rounds stacked together with the top one being the one with the center cut out. There will end up being 2 of those (the back wheels). The same process goes for the medium cutouts. There will also be 2 of those (the front wheels). I used my edible tylose glue to secure everything together.
The smallest circles are used in the center of the 4 wheels to act as the center caps. I painted everything black (using gel colors mixed with vodka) to look like the actual tires. I filled the empty space in with a metallic silver. Then I actually ran the edges through my scroll saw to create a treaded pattern on the outside of the tires.
I drilled little holes in the back center of each wheel and used bucatini pasta to attach the wheels to one another to make axels.
Then I started on the body of the tractor. I baked a few thin pieces of gingerbread over one of my stainless steel water bottles to get the shape for the guard that goes over the wheels.
I created the other parts by shaping balled up aluminum foil and pressing the raw gingerbread over it until I got the shaped I wanted. Then, I baked the gingerbread. I baked it in 5 different pieces. Once it finished baking and cooled, I peeled the aluminum foil out. Then I used my sander and Dremel to smooth and shape the pieces. It took a lot of adjusting, but I finally got it the way I wanted.
Then, I used my edible tylose glue to glue everything together.
I rolled out some more gingerbread and created a smoke stack that I baked and glued to the body. I also glued my wheel guards to it. You may also be able to see a picture of the seat that I added. I also used my Dremel to cut some lines on the front of the tractor to look like a grate.
After I had everything assembled, I tried painting it. I started off with some gel colors mixed with vodka. I really wanted the tractor to be green so it would look like a John Deere tractor, but the green just wasn’t doing it for me.
I ended up using a red metallic food paint I had on hand. I was much happier with the way it turned out. It looked shiny and more realistic.
Then, I set up my wheels with axels and placed the tractor on top of them. The result was perfect!
For a last minute addition, I think it looks pretty good!
I know my photos are a little lacking with this project, but the overall concept is there. Construction grade gingerbread can be manipulated in so many different ways. It’s the best!
Other Gingerbread and Cake Decorating Posts:
Construction Grade Gingerbread Recipe (for building, not eating)
Gingerbread Recipe (for eating and building)
Reindeer Playing Poker – National Gingerbread House Competition 3rd Place Winner
Santa’s Gingerbread Mountain Chalet
Cardinal Family Christmas – Gingerbread Birdhouse
Gingerbread House Construction Tips
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