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 water
For assemblage and decoration:
- Melted white chocolate or Royal Icing (recipe follows)
- Gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired
Directions
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 paper patterns for the gingerbread house:
Two rectangles (figs. A and B), 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles (figs. C and D), 3 by 5 1/2 inches for the roof. Two pieces for the ends of the house (figs. E and F), 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 (figs. G, H, I, and J), 1 1/2 by 1 inch for the roof and sides of the entryway. And one piece (fig. K), 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, glueing on gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired.
Royal 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
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.
Review This Recipe
You must be signed in to review this recipe.
or Register to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 25 reviews
By NanaMolly
California
on December 30, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
We made four houses on Christmas Eve. The recipe was quite small for our average sized house mold (The Chef's Toolbox Silicone Gingerbread House Mold. We had good success with the dough since the mold does not require rolling. It came out strong and the icing recipe worked well even though it was a little hard to pipe out. Our houses came out beautiful. I plan to use the recipe next year for our new tradition.
PS. I love the flavor!
By Cpt. Hook
on December 18, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I have been making gingerbread houses for many years. I thought that I would try this recipe and was intrigued that this recipe didn't use either an egg or vinegar... It was like trying to role a board, and then when it did finally give enough to role (this was refridgerated for the perscribed 30 mins., the dough CRACKED EVERYWHERE!! I spent hours tring to make this stuff work and the only reward were 3 gingerbread men that resembled Frankenstein due to all of the apparent repaired cracks... Find a recipe that utilizes an egg and vinegar and your experience will probably better than this one proved out to be.... NIGHTMARE!!!
By lizkgat
Spring Hill, TN
on December 21, 2010
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I googled Beatrice Ojakangas and found the food network recipe on a few sites, but then I found the real recipe. Here it is. I am sure that 1/2 c of water would have made a big difference.
1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]
The directions are still the same
Read all 25 reviews