Holiday Gingerbread Cookie House Food

GINGERBREAD FOR A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Make the gingerbread dough: Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and beat on medium until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined into a smooth dough, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until just firm, about 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, make templates for a gingerbread house. Gather several sheets of stiff paper; a manila folder works well. For the wall panels, cut a rectangle that measures 4 by 7 inches. For the front and back panels of a house with a peaked roof, cut a template that is 6 inches wide at the base, 4 inches to the roofline and 4 1/2 inches slanted to a peak. The template for the roof panels should measure 4 1/2 by 8 inches.
• Roll and cut the gingerbread: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and cut into 3 equal pieces (a pizza wheel is handy for this). Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other pieces refrigerated, roll the dough into a rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using the templates, cut out the front and back of the house and remove the scraps around the cutouts. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, cutting out 2 roof pieces and 2 side pieces. (If the dough gets too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before proceeding.) Discard the dough scraps or reroll to make cookies. Chill the dough pieces on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.
• Bake the gingerbread: Bake the dough pieces until crisp almost all the way through (the very center will still be a little soft), 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the pans 10 minutes on a rack, then remove the house pieces to the rack to cool completely. Assemble and decorate the gingerbread panels as 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 HOUSE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses and orange zest. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with water, mixing well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-1/2-in. gingerbread house cookie cutter dipped in flour. If desired, create windows using very small cutters of various shapes. , Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Use icing or frosting and food coloring to decorate cooled cookies as desired.

HOLIDAY (GINGERBREAD) COOKIE HOUSE

Steps:

• In Addition you will need: flat baking sheet, parchment paper or foil, lightweight cardboard, pencil, scissors, sharp knife, 9 inch square piece of heavy cardboard, Pastry bag with writing tip and star tip, candies, nuts, raisins, etc for decorating.
• Sift together dry ingredients in a med bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy.
• Beat in honey, molasses and egg.
• With floured hands, work flour mix into moist ingredients until well mixed.
• Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Roll dough out onto it.
• Return to fridge for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Trace on the lightweight cardboard outlines of a roof rectangle, 2 1/2"x4 1/2", front/back rectangle, 4 1/2"x3" and side pieces with a roof point on one end, 2 3/4" wide, 3" from bottom to diagnal cut, 2" at an angle to make the roof point.
• Place the cut out pieces on the rolled out dough and cut around them with a sharp knife point, twice for piece, leaving the cut out dough on the pan and removing the dough between the pieces.
• (you can roll this dough out for cookies) Make a tree for the yard if desired.
• Bake on middle shelf until edges are slightly browned.
• 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
• Make the decorator frosting by beating the egg whites and cream of tartar together until frothy.
• Beat in honey and vanilla.
• Slowly add dry milk, beating until stiff and glossy.
• Place 1/2 of the frosting into a pastry bag with the writing tip.
• Cover the rest as this frosting hardens quickly.
• Draw on your doors and windows.
• (if the frosting is too thick, thin slightly with honey. If not thick enough, beat in more dry milk) Line the edges of the cookie pieces as you work, gluing the house together and onto the foil covered heavy cardboard.
• You will have to hold each piece together for about 2 minutes to allow frosting to dry and hold.
• Tint the rest of the frosting with food coloring to finish decorating your house.
• Maybe a wreath for the front door, curtains in the windows and to color in the door or to paint your house (thin out to brush on the paint, paint in thin layers, drying between layers) To make the vanillia frosting for snow and icicles, etc.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.
• Beat in honey and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in dry milk.
• If icing is not firm enough, add more milk.
• Outline all the joints and the eaves (where the roof joins the house) of your house with this frosting.
• If desired, form the icicles with the writing tip under the roof and outline the roof with candies or nuts by pushing them into the icing.
• Beat about 1/2 cup of the dried milk into remaining frosting.
• Spread out around the house creating snow.
• Place candies or nuts creating a walk to the door.
• Make"snowdrifts" in front of the windows.
• Push trees into drifts.
• To make a snowman, roll a 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch icing balls between your palms, pressing the two together.
• Use small bits of nuts or candies to make his face.
• Lightly press the snowman into the snow in the front yard, adding more frosting to secure him in place if necessary.
• Roll out 2 long pieces of icing between palms to make snowdrifts and place them on each side of the walk.
• Let house dry for 24 hours.