RED BARN AND BISCUIT RECIPES

Steps:

• To Make Barn Base: Divide icing into 2 portions. Tint 1 portion with food coloring until desired shade of red.
• Place 2 whole graham crackers on a flat surface (these will be the sides of the barn). Frost 1 side of each cracker with red icing; smooth icing with a spatula. Using a knife, draw lines through icing to resemble siding on a house. Let dry.
• Decorate frosted crackers with windows for sides of barn. Using white icing, pipe outline of each window.
• Place 2 more crackers on a flat surface (these will become the stacked front of the barn). Cut 1 cracker into a wide triangle, using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Place triangle next to long side of other cracker, measure them together, and cut out cardboard to match size. Glue 2 stacked crackers to cardboard using icing. Let dry. Repeat procedure for the back of the barn, using 2 more crackers. Let dry. Frost cracker side of both stacked pieces with red icing. Smooth icing with a spatula. Using a knife, draw lines through icing to resemble siding. Let dry.
• Decorate 1 stacked frosted cracker as the front of the barn. Using white icing, pipe outline of doors, and then fill in each door with an "X." Let dry.
• To assemble barn base: Use red icing, and start near 1 edge of cardboard (to leave room for a pathway), and squeeze a line of icing 1/4" thick in a 5" square. (Use a pencil to sketch this out first, if needed.) This square will hold the workshop's 4 walls firmly to the cardboard base.
• Squeeze icing along 1 short edge of 1 cracker with windows. Press cracker against 1 short edge of a plain whole cracker (the back of workshop). Place crackers on a corner of icing on cardboard. Gently hold 2 walls in place 1 minute or until set. Reach into the inside corner seam of 2 walls and reinforce the seam with more icing, using your finger. Repeat procedure to attach the other side and front of workshop, 1 cracker at a time. Reinforce inside corner seams with icing, using finger. Set workshop aside to dry completely (at least 1 hour) before adding roof. Meanwhile, decorate crackers for roof. (Barn will look different, because the front and back pieces are two-story at this point.)
• To Make Roof: Cut 1 graham cracker in half lengthwise, using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Pipe white icing to cover 1 side of each cracker half. Apply 2 rows of frosted cereal to each cracker half, starting at bottom of cracker and working up. Let dry. Pipe white icing to cover 1 side of 2 more whole crackers. Apply 4 rows of frosted cereal to each whole cracker, starting at bottom of cracker and working up. Let dry.
• To Construct Roof: Pipe red icing across top of side walls of barn and across all 4 edges of 1 cereal-topped half cracker roof piece. Gently position half cracker piece in place, sitting on a side wall. Hold in place 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining cereal-topped half cracker roof piece. Pipe red icing onto all 4 edges of 2 whole cereal-topped crackers. Position both pieces onto roof, allowing them to lean in on each other.
• To Add Finishing Touches: Pipe white icing between roof shingles and along roof edges to fill in gaps where roof pieces meet. While squeezing icing in bag, slowly pull bag away to form icicles. Place barn on a wooden board, if desired. Scatter pine straw and small pine cones around barn.