Gingerbread House Recipe and Pattern

Gingerbread Houses, what fun!!

It is best to plan for 2 - 3 days to make a gingerbread house.

Day 2:  Cut and bake the house pieces (Pattern for gingerbread house ).  When cutting out the shapes for the house, cut out the windows and then cut them in half to make shutters. 

Once the gingerbread pieces are baked and cooled, assemble your house, using the recipe below or alternatively you can use melted sugar, which works very well for the cement.  However do not use if children are doing the assembling.  (Melt sugar over med-low heat in heavy pan until sugar has melted.  Take extra caution with the sugar and it if very hot and burns easily.)  Let it harden overnight.

Note:  Cut sheets of cardboard and cover them in tinfoil (one for each house being decorated).  We set the assembled house on the covered cardboard and use the rest of the space for the yard.  You can also use plywood pieces, trays or cookie sheets, covered in tin foil.

Day 3:  Decoration Day - The fun day we have been working toward!  Decorate the house and yard, make it spectacular and unique.

Ideas for creating and decorating the Gingerbread House and Yard:

• Ice-cream cones turned upside down and iced with green icing make great trees in your gingerbread yard

• When cutting and cooking the gingerbread house, use cookie cutters to cut out people and trees, then decorate and place in the yard

• Use lots of white icing for snow

• Decorate with  a variety of candy, dried fruit (think apples, pineapple, apricots, papaya, melon, orange slices, pomegranate seeds,  etc) and nuts and seeds (cashews, pecans, almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc) for a healthier version

• With a pastry bag pipe borders around the doors and window

• Drip icing from the roof edges to create icicles

• Make fences from round pretzels, licorice, cookies, or candy canes

Gingerbread Recipe:

2 cups molasses or honey

1 cup vegetable oil

1¼ cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

8 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 ½ Tbsp ground allspice

1 ½ Tbsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix ingredients together. Then chill dough overnight. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8” thickness, making sure it is large enough to cut out the gingerbread house pieces, removing any extra dough, place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove carefully to cooling rack.

Frosting:

2 egg whites

4 cups sifted icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Add the egg whites to a deep mixing bowl and beat at high speed until they begin to foam Gradually beat in the icing sugar, beating until it reached spreading consistency. It should be soft enough to flow through a fine pastry tube to make the decorations, while stiff enough to hold its shape. If needed add more lemon juice or more sugar to create the proper consistency. Keep the icing covered in the refrigerator until needed.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE PATTERN

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