- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr (includes chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 2 hr 30 min
- Yield: 6 small farmhouses; 36 (3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch) cookie squares
This recipe is tailored to make smaller gingerbread homes because it uses a dough that bakes up puffier and softer than your average gingerbread foundation. Molly loves it because they’re good for both building and eating. She uses royal icing to glue the houses together and American buttercream as a tastier decoration adhesive for eating immediately! These are fun to build, make and eat at any age!
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr (includes chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 2 hr 30 min
- Yield: 6 small farmhouses; 36 (3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch) cookie squares
Ingredients
Gingerbread Houses:
Royal Icing:
Vanilla Buttercream:
Decorations:
Directions
Special equipment:
a large piping bag; a medium piping bag; a small round piping tip and a second piping tip of your choice- For the gingerbread: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined after each addition, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, as needed. With the mixer running, pour in the molasses. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Turn half the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into a square as you wrap to help with rolling out later. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour (longer is fine, but you’ll need to allow the dough to sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to avoid cracking when the dough is rolled out).
- Arrange oven racks in the upper and lower positions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 5 sheet pans with parchment paper (or re-use the ones you have).
- Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll half of the dough to just below a 1/4-inch thickness, which will yield about a 15-by-15-inch square. Cut the dough into 3-1/2-by-3-1/2-inch squares and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking pans. Re-roll the dough scraps and repeat with the remaining dough until you have a total of 36 squares.
- Bake the cookies in the oven on the upper and lower racks for 12 to 14 minutes, swapping the pans halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and slightly browned around the bottoms. Let cool on the sheet pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue with the rest of the cookies until all are baked.
- For the royal icing: In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until the whites are very frothy and start to turn whiter. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated. The icing should be very smooth and very thick. Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- For the vanilla buttercream: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream and salt and mix on low speed, to avoid a spray of powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth and combined. Transfer to a medium piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice.
- To assemble the gingerbread houses: Onto one gingerbread square, pipe a line of royal icing along the edge and connect to another square. Connect four squares to make the house base. To make the roof, pipe two parallel lines of icing on the top of the edges. Before placing the two cookies, pipe one line of icing on the edge of one of the cookies, so you can connect the two squares at the top to make a triangular roof. Repeat with the rest of the squares and the icing to make six gingerbread farmhouses. Alternatively, you can also build A-frame houses with a floor and 2 roof panels. Decorate with the buttercream and candy.
