Ingredients
Instructions
<p>3⁄4 cup butter, chopped<br></br>1 egg<br></br>3⁄4 cup sugar<br></br>3⁄4 cup molasses<br></br>2 T + 2 tsp ground ginger<br></br>2 T + 2 tsp cinnamon<br></br>1⁄4 tsp baking soda<br></br>5 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour</p>
<p><strong>TIPS</strong></p>
<p>Kids will enjoy helping mix this up and roll it out. The template cutting and construction are easier for adult hands.</p>
<p>Plan to make and bake the dough on one day. Construct the house, using royal icing as “mortar” for walls and decorations. It’s best to do this in quiet moments, as it is the most difficult part. The house can be constructed several hours to days in advance of decoration. A can of soup or two make handy supports for walls while you are building your house. Don’t worry if it’s not beautiful, the addition of kids and candy will make it so by the end.</p>
<p><strong>HOW TO DO IT</strong></p>
<p>Obtain templates for the gingerbread house online or in a book. Photocopy the templates and cut them out so that you have paper templates the size and shape of the walls and roof you want on your gingerbread house.</p>
<p>Set out butter and egg and bring to room temperature. Bring sugar, molasses and spices to boil in a sauce pan — this is very hot, so be careful. Add baking soda, which will cause the mixture to foam up.</p>
<p>Pour sugar mixture over butter in a mixing bowl and mix well. Beat egg and add to sugar-and-butter mixture, mixing thoroughly. Add flour to form a stiff dough. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and divide in two. Shape the dough into flat rectangles, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or two or overnight.</p>
<p>Preheat oven to 325˚. Roll dough out to 1/4” thickness. Cut out shapes for the house by laying paper templates on top of dough. Bake at 325˚ on nonstick baking sheets for approximately 20 minutes. Let cool before removing from sheet.</p>
<p>Royal Icing</p>
<p>1 lb powdered sugar<br></br>3 egg whites<br></br>1⁄2 tsp lemon juice</p>
<p><strong>HOW TO DO IT</strong></p>
<p>Sift sugar if there are lumps. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix on low speed with whisk attachment, gradually increasing speed to high. Mix about 5 minutes or until the mixture is stiff.</p>
<p>Keep icing covered with damp towel until ready to use. You can put some into a plastic bag, cut a small corner off, and use as a pastry bag to easily apply “cement” to hold the walls together. After the house is complete, decorate, using the royal icing to adhere small candies and gumdrops.</p>
Added Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008