World's Largest Gingerbread House Rises in Texas (Video)

Like something out of a fairy tale -- a creepy, nightmare-inducing fairy tale about abandoned children and cannibalism -- but not so Grimm, a chef in Texas has constructed the largest gingerbread house in the world, and one so big that you could easily live inside it. The holiday-themed edible house -- purportedly the first of its kind built outdoors (at least since "Hansel and Gretel") -- has set a Guinness World Record by being more than 39,000 cubic feet.

And it wasn't easy, admits its baker and builder, Michael Menchaca (pictured at right) the executive chef at the Texas A&M Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. As he says in the video above, the recipe had to be altered to suit the elements. That recipe, reports Austin TV station KVUE, included "1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds of flour and 3,000 pounds of brown sugar." The calorie count of the home, which to qualify must have an entirely edible exterior, totals at 36 million.

But it wasn't built to be eaten -- at least not yet -- but to raise money for a charitable cause. About $15,000 so far has been donated by visitors toward a local hospital's trauma center, said KVUE.

Bryan TV station KBTX reports that tours of the home will continue through Dec. 14.

More about gingerbread houses:
Best Gingerbread Houses Ever?
Taste Life in a 'Real' Gingerbread House

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