Gingerbread Christmas Cottage Recipes

GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Cut out patterns for cottage walls and roof., In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and spices. In another bowl, whisk together egg, molasses, oil and brown sugar; gradually beat into flour mixture, mixing well. Press evenly into a well-greased 17x12x1-in. pan. Bake until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched 25-30 minutes., Immediately top gingerbread with patterns; cut with a knife. Cool completely on a wire rack (gingerbread will harden as it cools)., For icing, beat confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar on low speed until blended; beat on high until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. (Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp paper cloth; if necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.) Transfer icing to a pastry bag or food-safe plastic bag fitted with a pastry tip., Pipe icing along base and edges of front wall and one side wall. Position at right angles to each other and place on a cardboard base; prop up with small jars. Repeat with back wall and a second side wall; let dry. Remove jars., For roof, pipe icing along peaked edges of front and back walls; position roof pieces. Let dry. Decorate as desired with remaining icing and coarse sugar.

CAPE COD GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine shortening and water. Add brown sugar and molasses. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and spices; beat into molasses mixture until blended. Divide into three portions; chill overnight., Enlarge patterns by 115%. Trace the full patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. Trace the remaining (halved) patterns onto waxed paper as directed on the patterns; cut out. , With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-inch thickness directly onto a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut out two 8-1/2-inch x 5-1/2-inch rectangles for front/back house pieces. Set aside scraps., Roll out second portion of dough. Cut out two 8-1/2-inch x 6-inch rectangles for roof. , Roll out third portion of dough. Position house side pattern on dough; cut out two pieces. Roll out scraps; cut dormer and chimney pieces. Using cookie cutters, cut out a gingerbread boy, girl and dog., Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes; place patterns over baked dough and trim. Cool on wire racks., To make icing: Prepare only one batch of icing at a time. For each batch, in a large bowl, combine 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 6 tablespoons water. Beat on low speed for 5-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Place a damp cloth over bowl and cover tightly between uses., To assemble house: Place front of house and fronts of dormers on a waxed paper-lined flat surface. Cut a small hole in a corner of a pastry bag; insert round tip #3. Fill two-thirds full with icing. Outline doorway and frames of windows. Pipe a dot of icing on door and attach a silver dragee., Using round tip #7, pipe icing along base and one side of front wall and the adjoining side wall. Place at right angles to each other on foam core board and position with front of house 9 inches from one long side of board; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside and outside edges for added stability. Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry completely. , Spread one side of large chimney piece with icing. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 inch apart onto icing. Repeat with small chimney pieces; let dry. Spread icing on back of large chimney piece; center on right side of house. Prop with cans; let stand until set., For dormers: Using round tip #7, pipe icing along one side of front of dormer and the adjoining side of dormer. Position at right angles to each other and place on waxed paper; pipe icing along inside and outside edge for added stability. Hold in place until secure. Repeat with second side. Repeat for second dormer. Let dry completely with front side up. Attach dormer roofs with icing; let dry completely., To assemble roof: On one roof piece, position one dormer 1-1/2 inches from side edge and 1-1/2 inches from bottom edge. Pipe dots of icing to mark the position of bottom dormer corners. Pipe icing onto back edges of dormer; attach to roof. Hold in place until secure, about 1 minute. Repeat with second dormer. Let dry completely., Using icing, attach Andes candies to roof in rows, beginning with bottom row. Slightly overlap each row until one roof piece is covered, leaving a 1-1/2-inch square section of roof around chimney uncovered. Repeat procedure with second roof piece. Cut Andes candies to fit dormer roofs; attach with icing. Let dry., Generously pipe icing along top edges of house walls. Position roof pieces so there is a 5/8-in. overhang in front and back. Pipe icing along the joining edges. Prop bottoms of roof pieces with cans until roof is completely dry. , Pipe icing along edges of small chimney pieces; attach to roof and large chimney piece. Pipe icing inside chimney seams and around top of chimney. Attach Andes candies shingles around chimney, cutting to fit if necessary. Pipe icing along the joining edges of roof; press Andes candies onto icing., For finishing touches: Using round tip #7, pipe icing snow along roofline, on roof and around chimney and dormers; pipe icing icicles. Sprinkle with edible glitter. Tint a portion of icing with green food coloring. Using round tip #3, pipe a thin green line along front roofline of house; add light bulb sprinkles. Repeat for dormers. , To make trees, use a serrated knife to carefully score and cut ice cream cones to desired heights. Using leaf tip #67 with green icing and beginning at bottom of ice cream cones, pipe icing in rows; sprinkle with edible glitter. Place on waxed paper to harden. Pipe wreath on door. Using leaf tip #67, pipe snow onto trees; sprinkle snow with edible glitter. Set aside., Tint a small amount of icing blue, red, brown and black. Decorate wreath, gingerbread people and dog as desired with colored icing; add nonpareils for eyes. Let dry., For path, using round tip #7 and beginning at door, pipe an 8-inch x 2-1/2-inch icing rectangle. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 inch apart onto pathway. Working in small sections, frost board with icing and sprinkle with edible glitter. Add trees and gingerbread family to landscape, leaving room around perimeter for fence., To make fence, arrange two pretzel fence posts on a waxed paper-lined flat surface. Using round tip #3, pipe a dab of icing on pretzel fence posts and attach two horizontal pretzels. Repeat, forming two fences with two sections each for front yard and one fence with seven sections for back yard. For sides of yard, make two fences with six sections each, but eliminating the end fence posts. Let dry completely. Position back fence piece on board; attach with icing. Prop with cans until completely dry. Attach one side and front fence; prop and let dry. Repeat on other side. Pipe snow on fence; sprinkle with edible glitter.

WINTER WONDERLAND GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• To make dough: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for 1 hour., Trace patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, roll out dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. With a sharp knife, cut out chimney pieces, house front and back. On house front, completely cut out door and window; reserve door piece. After baking, trim 1/4 in. from bottom of door piece. , Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until set. Immediately place patterns on cutouts and cut around edges to trim excess. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely., Cut out 2 house sides, about 5-7/16x5-6/16-in. high. Reroll scraps; cut out 2 roof pieces, about 7-7/16x7-13/16-in. high. Bake and cool as directed., To make icing: In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint 1 cup green; cover and set aside. Leave remaining icing white. , To decorate house pieces: Place front of house front-side down on a waxed paper-lined work surface. For front window panes, cut skewer into one 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 in. piece and one 2-3/4 in. piece. With icing, attach skewers; let dry completely. , Place house sides and back on a waxed paper-lined work surface. Place house front with front side up. Using #14 pastry tip, pipe shell border around edges of house pieces. Add shell border on front of house and around door opening. With tip #4; pipe snowflakes and dots on front of house. Pipe side windows and front window panes over skewers., For front shutters, cut two 2-1/2-in. pieces of licorice; attach. Cut four pieces of licorice for side shutters; attach and let dry., Thin 1/4 cup icing with water and tint red; spread over door. Let dry completely. With white icing, pipe around door; add a window if desired and let dry. With tip #352 and reserved green icing, pipe green boughs above windows and door; add red nonpareils. Set aside remaining green icing for trees. , To assemble house: Pipe icing along edges of house sides. Position at right angles to front of house. Press into place; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside edges for added stability. Repeat with back; let dry., To assemble chimney: Pipe icing along 1 side of front chimney piece and 1 adjoining side chimney piece. Position at right angles to each other and place on waxed paper; pipe icing along inside edge for added stability. Hold in place until secure. Repeat with remaining side and back pieces. Let dry completely. Spread icing over chimney; add M&M's., To assemble roof: Pipe white icing along top edges of house walls. Position 1 roof piece; prop with cans. Repeat. Let dry completely. Frost roof pieces; attach chimney and Crispix shingles. Using tip #4, pipe snow on roof and around chimney opening. With a paintbrush, lightly brush Crispix with water; sprinkle with edible glitter. , To decorate: Using tip #20, pipe a rope border along edge of roof; attach light bulb sprinkles. Pipe rope borders where the roof meets the house and where walls join at each corner., For finishing touches: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and butter; heat until melted. Add crisp rice cereal. Form into tree shapes. With tip #352, pipe reserved green icing on trees. Sprinkle with edible glitter; decorate with light-bulb sprinkles and confectioners' sugar if desired., For bench, cut licorice into five 2-1/2-in. pieces. Cut curved ends from 5 candy canes, forming C-shaped pieces; set aside 3 curved pieces for fence and 1 straight piece for sled. With icing, attach one C-shaped piece to bottom of 1 whole candy cane (crook facing right), forming 1 side of bench frame. Repeat; let dry. Attach licorice pieces to bench frame pieces; prop and let dry. Add icing rivets., For sled, position reserved straight piece between 2 whole candy canes to form a sled; attach with icing. Attach Fruit by the Foot; let dry. , For path, draw path pattern of your choice on waxed paper. Coat with icing; attach Chiclets and let dry., On a large covered board or tray, place the house and path. Add granulated sugar snow drifts; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Arrange the trees, bench, sled and Minty Snowmen around house. Insert reserved candy cane pieces into sugar for fence.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS COTTAGE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine shortening and water. Add brown sugar and molasses; mix well. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices; beat into molasses mixture until blended. Divide into three portions; chill overnight., Trace the full patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. Trace the remaining (halved) patterns onto waxed paper as directed on the patterns; cut out. , With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness directly onto a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut out two front/back house pieces. On one piece, score window and door. , Roll out second portion of dough. Cut out two 8-1/2-in. x 6-in. rectangles for roof. , Roll out third portion of dough. Position house side pattern on dough; cut out two pieces. On each piece, score two window outlines. Cut out one 2-3/8-in. x 1-3/8-in. rectangle for left side of chimney and a 1-3/8-in. x 7/8-in. rectangle for right side of chimney. Roll out scraps to cut out patterns for sides of chimney; sides and roof of porch; and front, sides and roofs of dormers. Score dormer window outlines., Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes; place patterns over baked dough and trim. Cut out door and windows completely. (Set aside door cutout; discard window cutouts.) Cool on wire racks., To make icing: Prepare only one batch of icing at a time. For each batch, in a large bowl, combine 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 6 tablespoons water. Beat on low speed for 5-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Place a damp cloth over bowl and cover tightly between uses., To assemble frame of house: Place front and sides of house and fronts of dormers on a waxed paper-lined flat surface. Cut a small hole in a corner of a pastry bag; insert star tip #16. Fill two-thirds full with icing. Pipe curtains in the house and dormer windows. Outline frames of windows and doorway with round tip #3. , For shutters, roll out 10 red gumdrops to 1/16-in. thickness; cut each into a 1-1/8-in. x 3/8-in. rectangle. Roll out four red gumdrops for dormer shutters; cut each into a 7/8-in. x 1/4-in. rectangle. Attach house and dormer shutters with a dab of icing on each side of windows. , Using tip #16, pipe decorative trim on the front and back rooflines and peaks of the house, taking care to avoid the edges. Let dry completely., Pipe icing along base and one side of front wall and the adjoining side wall. Place at right angles to each other on foam core board and position with front of house 6-1/4-in. from one narrow side of board; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside and outside edges for added stability. Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry completely. , Cut 3-1/2-in. pieces from the straight end of four large candy canes (set aside curved ends for another use). Pipe icing along each outside corner of house with star tip #20; press straight candy cane pieces into each corner. Let dry completely, about 4 hours. , For dormers: Insert tip #16 into pastry bag; fill two-thirds full with icing. Pipe icing along one side of front of dormer and one adjoining side wall. Position at right angles to each other and place on waxed paper; pipe icing along inside edge for added stability. Hold in place until secure. Repeat with second side. Repeat for second dormer. Let dry completely with front side up., To assemble roof: Generously pipe icing along top edges of house. Position roof pieces so there is a 5/8-in. overhang in front and back. Pipe icing along the joining edges. Prop bottom of roof pieces with cans until roof is completely dry. , On right roof piece, position one dormer 1-1/2 in. from left side, 1-1/2 in. up from the bottom and above the lower window, aligning so dormer front is perpendicular to board. Pipe dots of icing to mark the position of bottom dormer corners. Pipe icing onto back edges of dormer; attach to roof. Hold in place until secure, about 1 minute. Repeat with second dormer. Let dry completely. , Attach dormer roofs with icing so there is a 1/4-in. overhang in front. Cut two 2-in. straight pieces from candy canes. Pipe icing along top edge of dormer roofs; press straight candy cane pieces into each. Let dry completely. , For chimney and door: Spread chimney pieces and door with icing; dip into multicolored nonpareils. With tip #3, pipe a dot of icing on door and attach red-hot for the handle. Let dry. Pipe icing along left edge and bottom of door; position door so it is ajar. , Using tip #16 and icing, attach chimney pieces to plain side of roof, positioning the back chimney piece 1-1/2 in. from back edge of roof and working clockwise with remaining pieces. Pipe icing around top of chimney and along chimney seams. Cut one 5-in. piece and one 1-1/4-in. piece from the straight ends of two candy canes. Pipe icing along top edge between roof pieces; press straight pieces into icing., For porch: Place porch roof smooth side down on a work surface. To attach sides, pipe icing along the long side of each triangle and position against porch roof. Invert to dry. , For porch support posts, cut two 2-3/4-in. straight pieces from candy canes. Insert each into a leaf-shaped spearmint gumdrop; position 1 in. from house and 3 in. apart on each side of doorway. Secure gumdrops with icing. Let dry. Attach porch roof to posts and house with icing; prop with small cans and let dry., To decorate roof: With tip #20, pipe two rows of icing along bottom of chimney side of roof. Press five different colored halved gumdrops into icing in a row; repeat until one horizontal row is finished. Begin the second row with the second color from row one. Repeat nine times, slightly overlapping each row until one roof piece is covered with a diagonally patterned design., On dormer side of roof and starting at bottom edge, repeat procedure for gumdrop shingles. Attach gumdrops to the dormer and porch roofs in the same pattern as roof of house. Pipe icing onto sides of porch roof. Let dry., For finishing touches: Using round tip #7, pipe icing icicles. Sprinkle with edible glitter. , To make trees, use a serrated knife to carefully score and cut ice cream cones to desired heights. Tint a portion of icing with green food coloring. Using leaf tip #67 and beginning at bottom of ice cream cones, pipe icing in rows; sprinkle with edible glitter. Place on waxed paper to harden. Using tip #7, pipe snow on the trees and sprinkle with edible glitter. Set aside., For curved path, using tip #20 and beginning at the door, pipe icing in a zigzag pattern. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 in. apart onto pathway. Position candy corn, point side up, along both sides of path. Working in small sections, frost base with icing for snow and sprinkle with edible glitter. , For each corner fence, use tip #7 and white icing to attach two miniature candy canes to board. Arrange trees on base along with green gumdrops, rock candy suckers and remaining leaf-shaped gumdrops for bushes; secure with icing. For smoke, pull and stretch the cotton ball; attach with icing to inside of chimney.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE COTTAGE

Steps:

• Place the flour, ginger, cinnamon and butter in a food processor and pulse until they resemble breadcrumbs (do this in two batches if the bowl is small). Combine the sugar, treacle and egg in a large mixing bowl. Tip in the flour mix and stir, then bring the dough together with your hands. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line three baking sheets with non-stick paper. Divide the dough into three and roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of two £1 coins. Using the templates, cut out two each for the roof, sides and two pointed end walls. Lift them onto the baking sheets. Re-roll scraps of dough, then cut out the small trees. Bake for 12 mins or until just firm. Leave to firm up for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To assemble the house, pipe a door on an end wall and a window on a side wall, using the squeezy icing. Pipe icing generously along one long edge of one side wall and stick it to the board. Repeat with an end wall, join the corners with a line of icing, then fix a flake bar to the base as a 'foundation'. Stick the remaining walls together. Use another flake bar to support the other end wall. Fix on the roof pieces, then leave overnight to set.
• Stick the marshmallows all over the roof, using the decorating icing as glue. Fix chocolate buttons around the door and to cover the corner joins. Pipe icicles along the front edge of the roof using the squeezy icing - start each one with a small pea-sized blob of icing. Pull the icing nozzle downwards and away from the blob - the icing will break off in a jagged 'icicle'. Alternatively, decorate with a line of white chocolate buttons.
• Mix the icing sugar with drops of water until you have a thick but spreadable icing. Spread this over the board and decorate with the lollipops (fastened to soft sweets), sweets, chocolate buttons and gingerbread trees. Dust lightly with icing sugar for a snowy effect.
• NOTE: To make the templates draw each shape on card or paper, using the following measurements. Side walls: 16cm x 10cm. Roof walls: 19cm x 12cm. End walls: Total height 18cm to the apex. 10cm tall to the top of the box. Angled line 11cm long.