GINGERBREAD HOUSE
adapted this recipe from the original found here
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water12Royal Icing:
1 pound (3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 to 2 large egg whites, or substitute 4 teaspoons packaged egg whites and 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla or lemon juice
food coloring (I colored mine a brown color to blend a little with the gingerbread)
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
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:
Roof- 7″ x 5″ Back- 4″ x 6 1/2″ Two Sides- 4 1/2″ x 4″Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough on parchment paper. 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 but it can burn really quickly.
Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes if needed. 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. 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 roof piece 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.
Royal Icing:
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.
Adapted from the Food Network
Prepare all the treats and candies for making the characters.
I used:
toasted coconut
stick pretzels
regular marshmallows
mini marshmallows
fruit rollups
spice drops
fruit slices candies ( they look like the spice drops but shaped like an orange slice)
graham crackers
Tiny black sprinkles
fruit mentos
Toothpicks to hold the body together
Aren’t these Wise men the cutest. I used different colors for fruit rollups for the crown and head covering. The Mentos (the orange specifically) were PERFECT head. Spice drops worked perfect for the shirt and sleeves and the gifts. The fruit slice we perfect for the bottom of the robe. I attached eyes very last with a dot of corn syrup.
