My First Gingerbread House 2006 Recipes

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix the shortening, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until a smooth paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, molasses and vinegar and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix, about 30 seconds more. Add about half of the flour and mix on low until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until smooth. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth, sprinkling the work surface and dough lightly with flour if sticky. Divide the dough in half.
• Working with one half at a time, roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling it with flour if it starts to get sticky. (Don't go too thin! I place 1/4-inch dowels on either side of my dough to ensure that it is evenly rolled out.) Repeat with the second portion of dough. Chill the rolled dough on baking sheets until the dough feels chilled and is slightly firm, about 1 hour in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer. (Alternately you can wrap both pieces of dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight before rolling.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the basic gingerbread house template, cut out the following patterns: One rectangle panel measuring 7 x 5.5 inches for the sides of the house (you will use this twice). One rectangle panel measuring 8.5 x 6 inches for the front and back roof panels side (you will use this twice). And, one piece measuring 6 inches wide at the base, 6 inches to the roof line and slanted to a peak 9 inches from the bottom for the ends of the house (you will use this twice).
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion, make 2 more batches of dough. For the advanced gingerbread house mansion template, cut out the following patterns: One rectangle panel measuring 10 x 8.75 inches for the front and back of the house (you will use this twice). One rectangle panel measuring 11 x 6.5 inches for the front and back roof panels (you will use this twice). And, one piece measuring 9 inches wide at the base, 9 inches to the roof line and slanted to a peak 12 inches from the bottom for the ends and center support of the house (you will use this three times).
• Plus, one piece measuring 2 inches wide, 2 inches to the low slant line and 3.25 inches to the high slant line for the sides of the chimney (you will use this twice). One small rectangle panel measuring 2 x 3.25 inches for the front chimney panel. And, one small square panel measuring 2 x 2 inches for the back chimney panel.
• Plus, one piece measuring 4 inches wide at the base, 5 inches to the lowest roof line and 7 inches to the highest roof line for the extra room (you will use this twice). One square panel measuring 4.5 x 4.5 inches for the extra room wall. And, one rectangle panel measuring 5.5 x 5 inches for the extra room roof.
• Plus, one triangle measuring 4 inches at the base and 1.5 inches high at the center peak for the front porch. One small rectangle panel measuring 1.5 x 3 inches for the front porch roof panels (you will use this twice). One small rectangle panel measuring 2 x 0.5 inches for the flower box panels (you will use this eight times). And, one rectangle panel measuring 2 x 3.25 inches for the front door.
• Use the gingerbread templates and a sharp chef's knife or craft knife to cut out the pieces, rerolling the scraps as needed. Leave about 1/2 inch between each piece. I like to cut the pieces directly on the parchment and then peel away the scraps to avoid moving the cut pieces.
• For the basic gingerbread house: From one of the pieces with the peaked roof (this will be the front of the house), use a square or rectangular cutter to make a door and a round cutter to make a center window above, cutting straight down and leaving the perforated pieces in while the dough bakes.
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion: From the side panels of the house, use a round cutter to make a center window, and from the front and back of the house, use a square or rectangular cutter to make windows, cutting straight down and leaving the perforated pieces in while the dough bakes.
• To make the trees, use tree-shaped cookie cutters or a tree template to cut out trees in pairs. Use a sharp paring knife or a craft knife to cut one tree in each pair in half. Use a round cutter to cut out one circle per pair to use as the base of the tree.
• Bake until the centers are firm to the touch, rotating the pans back to front and top to bottom during the last 10 minutes of baking, 25 to 28 minutes total (20 to 25 minutes for the smaller pieces). For the extra-large pieces for the advanced gingerbread house mansion, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Don't be afraid to bake the gingerbread a few minutes longer if you are unsure--we need these pieces to be strong!
• While the dough is still warm, use the cutters or a paring knife to remove the doors and windows to achieve a clean cut. Transfer the parchment with the gingerbread house pieces to a flat surface and allow to cool completely before removing from the parchment. For larger or more detailed houses it is helpful to allow the baked gingerbread to rest uncovered overnight.
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion: To make the windows, separate the hard candies by color and use a rolling pin to gently crush them in a resealable plastic bag. Transfer the candies to separate silicone baking cups or microwave-safe bowls and microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring with a skewer in between, until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Place a clean piece of parchment under each window, then pour the melted candy into the window holes and let cool, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a cutter of your choice to gently press a design into the windows and let cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Assemble the gingerbread house or mansion and decorative elements as directed and allow the icing to dry completely overnight before decorating.

CLASSIC GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. In bowl of a 5-quart (or larger) electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat shortening and brown sugar on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in molasses and 1 1/8 cups cold water until mixed well. On low speed, beat in one-fourth of the flour mixture until mixed well, repeating in one-fourth amounts of flour mixture, beating well after each addition, until mixture forms into a ball. Scrape side of bowl occasionally. Divide dough into 4 equal portions; shape into round disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Heat oven to 375°F. On lightly floured 16x12-inch piece of cooking parchment paper, roll one dough disk 1/4-inch thick, into 12x9-inch rectangle. Place two side wall pattern pieces on dough, at least 1/2-inch apart. (See link below for template.) Cut around pattern pieces with pizza cutter or sharp knife. Remove pattern pieces; remove dough scraps, and reserve for rerolling. Transfer dough cutouts and parchment to large cookie sheet.
• Bake cutouts 10 to 13 minutes or until firm in center; remove from oven. With cutouts on pan, carefully replace pattern pieces on top of baked dough cutouts, and trim around edges; discard any trimmings, and remove pattern pieces. (Pan and dough will be hot.) Return cutouts to oven 4 to 6 minutes longer or until dry and lightly browned. Transfer parchment with cutouts to rack to cool completely.
• Allow cookie sheet to cool completely before moving onto next pieces, or use another large cookie sheet if you have more than one. Working one piece at a time, repeat process of rolling, cutting and baking front wall, back wall and roof pattern pieces on cooking parchment paper until all six pieces are done.
• To make door and stained-glass window, with front wall still on parchment paper, replace front wall pattern piece (with door and window cutout). Carefully cut small door opening from front wall, and remove cutout; set aside for later. Using a 1 1/2-inch circle cutter, cut small opening for window near top of front wall; remove cutout and any crumbs, and discard.
• In small resealable food-storage plastic bag, place two clear hard fruit candies, and seal. Using flat side of meat mallet, gently pound to crush candies. Spoon crushed candies into opening, making sure candies touch edges of baked dough. (Do not mound candy in opening.) Carefully transfer parchment to large cookie sheet; return to oven 4 to 6 minutes or until melted. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer parchment and baked piece to cooling rack to cool completely. Carefully remove parchment from gingerbread house pieces.
• On lightly floured 16x12-inch piece of cooking parchment paper, roll remaining dough 1/8-inch thick. With lightly floured 1-inch round cutter, cut at least 120 circles to make shingles from dough, and transfer to large parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing slightly apart. If necessary, reroll scraps, and continue with cutouts. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until firm in center; transfer parchment with cutouts to cooling rack to cool completely.
• In large bowl, beat Royal Icing ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until mixed. Beat on high speed 7 to 10 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until very stiff.
• Spoon 1 cup of the icing into small decorating bag fitted with small round tip, or cut small corner off end of bag; twist bag to keep closed. Keep remaining icing covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out; set aside.
• Using photo as a guide, decorate side walls, front and back walls of house with icing and assorted decorations to make windows and wreath. Add shingles to roof pieces, attaching the round cutouts with a small amount of icing and overlapping them slightly, using photo as a guide. Let decorated gingerbread pieces stand at least 30 minutes until icing is set, before assembling the house.
• Uncover remaining icing, and add additional icing to piping bag as needed for assembly. Cut larger tip from end of decorating bag.
• Working with front wall piece and one side wall piece, pipe thick line of icing on one end of the side wall seam and on one of the inner edges of front wall; place pieces together, attaching the icing. Add more icing to support the seam, if necessary. Prop up walls with cans or bottles; allow to set 30 minutes. Repeat for remaining back wall and side wall pieces, attaching all sides of house; allow to set 30 minutes.
• Carefully attach one side of the roof to the top of one side of the house using thick line of icing on top edge of side wall, top edges of front and back walls and the inside outer edges of the roof piece. Roof piece will hang slightly over the edges. Hold in place 1 to 2 minutes until icing starts to set. Use one to two jars or bottles for support underneath; allow to set 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining roof piece. Attach front door, leaving slightly propped open; allow to set 30 minutes.
• Using photo as a guide, decorate outside with any remaining final touches. Lightly dust shingles with powdered sugar, if desired.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Gingerbread House: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut out the following paper patterns for the gingerbread house template: Two rectangles, 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles, 3 by 5 1/2 inches for the roof. Two pieces for the ends of the house, 3 inches wide at the base, 3 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 5 1/2 inches from the bottom. Four smaller rectangles, 1 1/2 by 1 inch for the roof and sides of the entryway. And one piece, 2 inches wide at the base, 1 1/2 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 2 1/2 inches from the bottom for the front of the entryway.
• Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough. With a sharp, straight edged knife, cut around each of the pieces, but leave pieces in place.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm.
• Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes, cutting edges with a straight-edged sharp knife. Leave to cool on baking sheet.
• Place royal icing into pastry bag with a writing tip and press out to decorate individual parts of house, piping on decorations, windows, door, etc., as desired. Let dry until hardened.
• Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using royal icing. Place an object against the pieces to prop up until icing is dry (it only takes a few minutes).
• Glue the two roof pieces to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.
• Continue decorating the house, gluing on gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired.
• Mix all of the ingredients together using an electric hand mixer, until the icing is smooth and thin enough to be pressed through a pastry bag with a writing tip. Add more lemon juice, if necessary.

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.

MY FIRST GINGERBREAD HOUSE "2006"

Steps:

• Dough using the template here:.
• Warm molasses in a saucepan or microwave, but do not boil just to soften. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Let cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
• Add butter mixture and egg and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour until dough becomes stiff enough to roll.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out dough right onto the bottom side of cookie pan or on a edge free cookie pan that is lined with parchment. Maximum thickness for dough should be 3/8-inch. For houses larger than 6 inches square, use 1/4-inch thickness and for smaller houses, use 1/8-inch. Weight-bearing walls should be just slightly thicker. Place the template and cut house pieces using a ruler to guide for smooth straight edges. Bake for 15 minutes.
• If window are to be cut out do before baking. May place broken hard candies in windows for a glass effect be sure to really fill it.
• Royal Icing:.
• Mix 1/2 the powder and 1/2 the water beating till peaks form, add 1/2 the sugar beating till a good consistency. This half is to assembly.
• In a thick Styrofoam base cut grooves the size of the baked walls. Using the 4 wall as a guide.
• Pipe the icing into the grooves.
• Pipe out the icing on the bottom and one end of one long wall and one short, put them together at a 90-degree angle, and hold them in place on the foam with cans if needed. Repeat with the remaining two walls, running a line of icing glue along the corners so that all the walls are glued together. Again hold walls in place until icing is dry. Let the roofless house dry at least 30 minutes until the icing is firmly set. At this time careful plan and decorate the inside as you chose. Or leave it empty.
• Run a thick line of icing along one long side of a roof piece. Stick the two roof sections together at an angle and set the two pieces on top of the house. Make sure that the roof overhang is the same at both ends of the house, although it is okay if it isn't perfect. Hold the roof gently in place until it dries. Let dry for half an hour.
• To attach the chimney, on one side of the roof near the peak, glue one angled piece to the roof. Glue the largest rectangle to the angled piece and then glue the second angled piece in place. Last, glue the smallest rectangle to the other sections. Hide any mistakes under a "snow" of icing.
• Side a this layer of icing on sides of house One side at a time. Place fruit roll up starting from the bottom going up overlapping slightly. Be sure to cut it where the window are. Leave the top half of the front and back to overlap with the spearmint leave adhering with icing.
• Spread the icing covering the base for snow.
• Place Chocolate Mint sticks along the front and side of the house for porch add railing using mint sticks and glue with icing the marshmallow on place the bird (shaped from the fondant) on the railing. using the twisted marshmallow place along the bottom edge of the house.
• Make the other half of icing when needed.
• Sled is made from a chocolate bar and peppermint sticks, thin red licorice, red fondant as Santa `s bag.
• Spread icing on roof and starting at the bottom edge work your way up in uneven rows overlapping slightly.
• Decorate the chimney by icing then pressing toffee bits into it. Then shape Santa and decorate him with a bread made from icing and a red fondant hat, skin fondant face place in chimney.
• With the icing go over the house and fill in where needed to make it look like snow and at the eves making icicles.
• Place a small battery lit candle inside so you can appreciate the stained glass windows.
• Add your touches. Have fun.