Gingerbreadpartyhouse Recipes

Steps:

• Dough: In a large saucepan, cook the sugar, shortening and molasses on low, until shortening is melted and sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add the cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough can be formed into a ball. , Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until even in color and smooth (not crumbly or dry), adding more flour if needed. Form into a log. Cut into five equal pieces; wrap in plastic. Cut patterns out of paper or cardboard., Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease the foil. Lay a damp towel on counter; place prepared pan on towel (to prevent slipping). Unwrap one portion of dough. Using a very lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough directly on baking sheet to a 15x10-1/2-in. rectangle about 1/4 in. thick. Position patterns at least 1/2 in. apart on dough as shown. Cut around patterns with a sharp knife or pizza cutter; remove patterns. Remove dough scraps; cover and save to re-roll if needed. , Bake at 375° for 10-14 minutes or until cookie springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven; immediately replace patterns on dough. Cut around the edges to trim off excess cookie. Cool 3-4 minutes or until cookies begin to firm up. Carefully remove to a wire rack; cool Repeat with remaining dough and patterns., Icing and Assembly: In a large bowl, beat the sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water on low until blended. Beat on high for 8-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form, adding additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Place a damp paper towel over bowl and cover tightly until ready to use. , To assemble frame of the house, test your cookie pieces to make sure they fit together snugly. if necessary, file carefully with a serrated knife or an emery board to make fit. Fill decorating bag two-thirds full with icing. Beginning with the front of the house, squeeze a 3/8-in. wide strip of icing onto the bottom edge of the front piece. Position on the cookie base, 3 in. from the front edge of the base. Prop it upright with spice jars for 2-3 minutes or until icing hardens; remove jars., To add the sides, squeeze icing on lower edge of one side piece and side edge of the front piece. Align pieces at a right angle, making sure they are as tight as possible. Repeat with the other side., To add the back,squeeze icing on the bottom and side edges of the back piece; position with the other assembled pieces. For added stability, squeeze icing along the inside edge of all pieces and corners., To assemble the roof, working with one side at a time, squeeze icing on the upper edge of the slant of the front and back pieces on one side. Also squeeze icing on the adjoining side piece. Carefully place roof piece on the slants so that the roof's peak is even with the pints of the front and back. (There will be an overhang of 1/2 in.) Repeat with other side of the roof., To decorate, add a chimney if desired (see photo for assembly). Decorate the house with remaining icing, candies and cookies of your choice.

Steps:

• First cut out in thin cardboard: a side wall, 4 1/2 x 8 inches; an end wall, 4 1/2x5 inches; a triangular gable, 4 1/2x3x3 inches; and a roof rectangle, 4 1/2x9 inches. Tape the rectangular end wall piece to the triangular gable piece: match the long side of the triangle, 4 1/2 inches, to one of the 4 1/2 inch sides of the end wall.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and molasses. Gradually beat in 2 eggs. Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices together; stir into creamed mixture. Wrap dough in parchment paper, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 portions, 2 slightly larger than the others. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the 4 smaller pieces to approximately the size of the side wall and the end wall with gable templates; cut out two of each. Roll out remaining dough, and cut into two rectangular roof pieces. Transfer gingerbread onto greased baking trays.
• In a preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven, bake gingerbread for 10 minutes, or until crisp. When removing from the oven, leave the gingerbread on the baking trays for a few minutes to set, then transfer to wire racks. Leave out overnight to harden.
• In a large bowl, lightly whisk 2 egg whites. Gradually beat in approximately 5 cups confectioners' sugar. The icing should be smooth and stand in firm peaks. Spread or pipe a 9 inch line of icing onto a cake board, and press in one of the side walls so that it sticks firmly and stands upright. If necessary, spread or pipe a little extra icing along either side to help support it. Take an end wall and ice both the side edges. Spread or pipe a line of icing on the board at a right angle to the first wall, and press the end wall into position. Repeat this process with the other two walls until they are all in position. Leave the walls to harden together for at least two hours before putting on the roof. Spread or pipe a thick layer of icing on top of all the walls, and fix the roof pieces in position; the roof should overlap the walls to make the eaves. Pipe or spread a little icing along the crest of the roof to hold the two pieces firmly together. Leave overnight to set firmly.
• When ready to decorate, make the remaining icing. In a large bowl, lightly whisk 4 egg whites, and mix in remaining confectioners' sugar as before. Use this to make snow on the roof, and to stick various candies for decoration. Finish with a fine dusting of sifted confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• FOR HOUSE: In large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together reserving about 1 cup of flour. Mix thoroughly, adding small amounts of the remaining flour until dough is quite firm (similar to Play-doh).
• Taking gingerbread moldplate, take half the mixture and press into concaves of the mold that have been lightly floured. Using a rolling pin, roll back and forth until the dough has been firmly pressed into the concave cavities. Remove excess dough and place aside with other half. With the tip of a sharp knife or other utensil, carefully remove house pieces. Coat baking or cookie sheet with non-stick spray and gently place pieces plain side down. With other half of dough, repeat process to create the remaining side, end and roof. Place all pieces on cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until firm.
• FOR ICING: In large bowl, beat all ingredients together with electric mixer beginning with low speed and increasing speed to high when blended. Beat 5-7 minutes until very firm or until peaks form.
• Use a pastry bag with decorating tips to "pipe" the ribbons of icing when "glueing" house pieces together and for decorating.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Cover a board with foil or decorative paper.
• Take one front end piece of the house along with a side wall. Make sure that the decorative sides face the outside. Squeeze a ribbon of icing along the edge of the front end. Gently squeeze the side wall into the icing to form an "L" shape. Hold for a few minutes until icing bonds. Repeat procedure with back end piece and other side for another "L" shape.
• With two "L" shaped pieces, apply another ribbon of icing along the exposed ends. Gently press together four sided house. Hold together until firm. Carefully add ribbons of icing along wall joints on inside of house for extra holding protection.
• Squeeze a ribbon of icing all along the top perimeter of house. Place 2 roof panels into position gently pressing into icing on top edge of walls. Squeeze a ribbon of icing along top-center of roof to bond two roof panels. Apply a generous ribbon of icing to the back side of chimney and gently press into position on the end side of house.
• Allow to set for 30 minutes to harden and dry before decorating with icing, candy and sprinkles as desired.

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.

Steps:

• Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add molasses and beat on high speed until well blended. Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating at low speed until dough forms. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into rectangle. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Rolling, Cutting and Baking:
• Each of the six pieces of dough will be used for one of the large sections of the house (the two side walls, the front and the back walls, and the two roof sections). The scraps will be rerolled to make the roof tiles, trees, stars, figures and other cookies for nibbling.
• Make templates:
• On one cardboard sheet, draw 14-inch round and cut out, making base for house. On another cardboard sheet, draw one 7- X 10-inch rectangle and cut out. Outline rectangle 3 more times on cardboard sheets and cut out, making 4 foundation rectangles. Draw one 6- X 9-inch rectangle on cardboard sheet and cut out, making roof template. Draw one 7- X 4-inch rectangle on cardboard sheet and cut out, making side wall template. Cut out 2 (1 1/2-inch) squares for windows.
• To make the template for the front and back of the house, draw a 4- X 5-inch rectangle on cardboard sheet, then use the 5-inch side of the rectangle as the base for a triangle with the opposite angle 4 inches away from base. To make a door, cut a 1 1/2- X 2 3/4-inch rectangle in the center of the opposite 5-inch side of rectangle.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out 1 dough piece (keep remaining dough refrigerated) between two 15-inch-long sheets of parchment to scant 1/4-inch rectangle, turning over dough and parchment occasionally. If parchment wrinkles, peel off, smooth wrinkle and reposition parchment over dough; continue to roll out dough to required thickness.
• Roof:
• To make roof, place cardboard roof template atop parchment. Using small sharp knife, cut around template through top sheet of parchment to make 6x9-inch rectangle. Peel top parchment off dough.
• Pull away excess dough from around the rectangle. Slide dough rectangle on its bottom parchment onto heavy large baking sheet. Gather dough scraps; wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
• Bake rectangle until dry looking, firm to touch in center and just beginning to darken around edges, about 13 minutes. Slide parchment with rectangle onto rack and cool completely. Rinse baking sheet under cold water to cool; wipe dry.
• Walls:
• Repeat rolling, cutting and baking of each remaining 5 large dough pieces, 1 piece at a time, to make second roof section, 2 side walls, front wall and back wall (cut out windows on side walls and door on front wall but not door on back wall). Gather and refrigerate dough scraps for use later and rinse baking sheet to cool each time.
• Roof tiles:
• Roll out some of reserved dough scraps between sheets of parchment to 1/8-inch thickness. Peel off top parchment. Using floured 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds for roof tiles. Using small knife as aid, cut and pull away dough from between rounds.
• Slide parchment with cookie rounds onto cooled baking sheet. Bake cookies until dry looking and firm to touch, about 9 minutes. Slide parchment with cookies onto rack and cool cookies. Working in batches, repeat with more reserved dough to roll, cut and bake a total of 50 round cookies, gathering, wrapping and chilling any dough scraps each time.
• Door and other cutouts:
• Roll out some of reserved dough between sheets of parchment to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 2 1/2x1 1/2-inch rectangle for front door. Using floured cookie cutters, cut out several stars, gingerbread figures, Christmas trees and other decorative shapes as desired. Using small knife as aid, pull or cut away dough from around door and between shapes. Slide parchment with cookies onto cooled baking sheet. Bake cookies until dry looking and firm to touch, about 9 minutes. Slide parchment with cookies onto rack and cool cookies completely. Remove all baked gingerbread from parchment. (All gingerbread can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Icing:
• You will prepare this recipe twice: once for assembling the gingerbread house, and again for decorating it.
• 4 large egg whites
• 7 to 7 1/2 cups powdered white sugar
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until very foamy, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Add remaining cups sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well blended after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
• Beat icing at high speed until very thick and stiff, about 5 minutes. (Second batch of icing will be made later.)
• Assembly of Foundation and Walls 2 pastry bags 1 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter plain round pastry tip
• Foundation:
• Place 14-inch round cardboard base on work surface. Spoon some icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter tip; cover icing in bowl tightly to prevent drying. Pipe a small dab of icing in center of round. Place one 7x10-inch cardboard foundation rectangle on icing; press to adhere.
• Pipe small mound of icing in center of rectangle. Place second 7x10-inch cardboard rectangle over; press to adhere. Repeat with more icing and remaining two 7x10-inch rectangles, forming the foundation for house in center of round cardboard base.
• Walls:
• Pipe thick line of icing on bottom edge of 1 side wall. Stand wall on cardboard foundation, icing side down, 1 inch in from and parallel to one long side and 2 inches in from one short side; hold for 5 minutes.
• Pipe thick line of icing onto front edge of wall. Press back edge of front wall (with door cutout) into icing on front edge of side wall. Hold pieces together for 5 minutes.
• Pipe thick line of icing on bottom edge and up front edge of second side wall. Press icing on front edge of side wall into the back edge of front wall, positioning wall parallel to first side wall. Hold for 5 minutes.
• Pipe line of icing up back edge of each side wall. Press edges of back wall (without door) into icing, forming the back of the house. Hold 5 minutes to set.
• Pipe lines of icing inside house at 4 intersections of walls, along the base and on outside at all vertical joints to reinforce.
• Pipe a thick line of icing along 1 long edge of front-door cookie. Attach cookie to left side of door opening in front wall, creating an opened front door.
• Pipe any icing left in pastry bag back into bowl of icing. Cover tightly; store at room temperature to use for decorating later. Let house stand until icing is completely dry and very hard - about 12 hours.
• Assembly of Roof and Tiles:
• 1 1/8-inch diameter plain round pastry tip 1 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter plain round pastry tip 2 pastry bags
• Prepare a second batch of icing.
• Beat in any remaining icing from the first batch. Spoon 1 cup icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/8-inch diameter tip. Outline windows and front door decoratively. Pipe decorations on front and back walls.
• Roof:
• Spoon icing into a new pastry bag fitted with 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter plain tip. Pipe thick line of icing down 1 diagonal edge of front wall; continue piping icing along top edge of adjoining side wall and up diagonal edge of back wall.
• Press 1 roof rectangle into icing, positioning so that top edge aligns with tops of front and back walls and lower edge overhangs side wall by about 1 1/4 inches. Hold in position for 5 minutes to set.
• Pipe additional lines of icing along roof joints inside house to reinforce.
• Pipe thick line of icing down second diagonal edge of front wall; continue piping icing along top edge of adjoining side wall and up diagonal edge of back wall. Press second roof rectangle into icing, positioning so that top edge aligns with edge of first roof rectangle and lower edge overhangs side wall by about 1 1/4 inches. Hold in position for 5 minutes to set.
• Let house stand until icing hardens, at least 3 hours.
• Cover bowl of icing and let stand at room temperature.
• Tiles:
• Spoon more icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter plain tip. Pipe small mound of icing in center of underside of 1 round cookie. Align cookie edges flush with one bottom corner of roof; press to adhere. Repeat with about 5 more cookies to form bottom row of roof tiles, cutting end cookie to align with edge of roof.
• Pipe generous mound of icing on upper half of underside of 1 round cookie. Position cookie halfway between 2 first row cookies and overlapping them by about 3/4-inch. Press icing portion gently onto roof. Repeat with more cookies to form second row; cutting cookies to fit at each end.
• Repeat with more cookies to cover first side of roof. Attach cookies in same way on second roof rectangle.
• Using first pastry bag fitted with 1/8-inch-diameter tip, outline the bottom halves and cut edges of roof tiles with icing.
• Decorations:
• 12 hard red-and-white striped peppermint candies, cut in half with serrated knife
• 4 striped candy canes, cut to fit corners of house under roof
• Cinnamon imperials Chocolate nonpareils Other assorted candies
• Spoon icing into pastry bag fitted with 1/4- to 3/8-inch-diameter tip. Pipe 1 or more thick lines of frosting between roof sections at top of house, filling opening completely. Gently press cut side of peppermint candies in row into icing.
• Pipe 1 thick vertical line of icing at each corner of house; press 1 trimmed candy cane into each.
• Pipe small rounds of icing onto both sides of door for doorknobs and in center of each roof tile. Press cinnamon imperials into each round of icing.
• Using pastry bag fitted with 1/8-inch-diameter tip, pipe small mound of icing onto edge of roof.
• Slowly pull bag downward while squeezing out icing so that about 3/4- to 1-inch section of icing hangs freely. Pull bag away, leaving "icicle" hanging. Repeat at 1/4-inch intervals around roof edge. Pipe decorative line of icing along front and back eaves of roof sections.
• Outline and decorate gingerbread figures, trees, stars and other cookies. (Icing may be colored, if desired.) Using back of spoon or flexible spatula, spread icing around base of house and on cardboard base, creating "snow-covered" landscape.
• Press chocolate nonpareils into icing, making path to front door. Stand decorated cookies in icing.

Steps:

• Make half of the batch: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together half the butter and half the sugar for 5 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down sides.
• Meanwhile, sift together the dry ingredients - the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt - and set aside half.
• With mixer running at low speed, add two eggs, one at a time. Mix in 1 cup molasses. Scrape down bowl.
• In 3 batches, add half the dry ingredients, mixing just to combine. To prevent any flour from flying out, make sure the mixer is off when adding each batch, and drape a towel over it when mixing. Mix in zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange.
• Pull dough out of mixer, and wrap in plastic wrap, or transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Repeat Steps 1 to 5 to make the remaining dough. Refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out dough: For each square, weigh out about 20 ounces of dough. The goal is to end up with five 9-inch squares, so you'll roll them out a bit larger, bake them and trim off the edges.
• Lightly dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour. Place the chilled dough on top. Roll side to side and up and down to make a rough square shape. While you roll, make frequent quarter-turns so that the dough remains even.
• Roll until dough is about 10 by 10 inches and a generous 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (Any dough left after the squares have been prepared can be rolled out 1/4-inch thick and used for cookies.) In the oven, the slab will rise to about 3/8- or 1/2-inch thickness, which will make the house extra sturdy.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until even and firmly set. Place pans on racks to cool. To prevent bending and cracking, carefully transfer to racks by lifting parchment paper. When completely cool, stack the slabs, still on parchment, and set aside to dry out at room temperature for 3 to 7 days. (When ready to assemble, see How to Make a Gingerbread House guide for full instructions.)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a heavy-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) with nonstick spray. This will ensure the dough doesn't stick to the pot as you turn it out.
• Melt the shortening in the greased pot over medium heat. Add the molasses and sugar, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
• Gradually stir in 4 cups (500 grams) of the flour mixture, 1 cup (125 grams) at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each addition before adding more. You'll have some of the flour mixture left over.
• Dust a work surface with some of the remaining flour mixture. Carefully turn the dough out onto the floured surface and work in the flour mixture. (You don't want the dough to be too crumbly. You may have some flour mixture left over, which can be used for rolling out the dough.)
• Once the flour is incorporated, shape the dough into a 12-inch (30.5 cm) log and cut into 3 portions, 1 piece slightly larger than the others for the roof.
• Set aside the smaller pieces of dough in the pot (it still should be warm, but not hot), cover with plastic wrap, and put the lid on. You'll want to work with the dough while it's warm as it tends to harden at room temperature. If it hardens, simply microwave for about 30 seconds.
• On the floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough to a rectangle about ½-inch (1 ¼ cm) thick. Using a house template, cut the 2 pieces of the roof and set on a prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart as the dough will expand while baking.
• Roll out the rest of the dough and cut out the front, back, and sides of the house using the templates. Place on a baking sheet.
• Wrap the leftover dough in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day. Microwave to soften and roll out to make decorations for the house or another gingerbread creation.
• Bake the gingerbread house pieces for 12-15 minutes, until they have hardened and baked through. Let cool completely.
• Make the royal icing: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric hand mixer until frothy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup (120 grams) at a time, until the icing is smooth and thick. NOTE: The icing is used for gluing the house together. It's very thick. To use the icing for decorating, add about 1 teaspoon of water at a time to thin the icing to your desired consistency.
• Assemble the gingerbread house with the royal icing. TIP: Put the roof pieces side by side with the underside up (and the eventual exposed part of the roof down). "Glue" a cut piece of a paper shopping bag across these two pieces with royal icing. Place two small glass bowls on either side of this upside-down roof to prop the pieces up into a "V" shape. Let dry completely. When assembling, this will help ensure that your roof doesn't slip down the sides of the house.
• Decorate the house with more royal icing and your desired decorations.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Once the gingerbread slabs have hardened (a few days after baking), it's time to cut them into walls. We've created a printable template, but if you don't have a printer, we'll walk you through the process. We have options for cutting out a door and a window, but if you'd rather not bother, you can draw them on with icing instead.)Once you've prepared the recipe, you should have five 10-by-10-inch slabs of gingerbread. These will then be cut into neat 9-inch squares to serve as the walls and roof of your house. You can do this with a ruler, a 9-inch square of parchment or cardboard, or using our template. Lay the template onto the slabs, or measure out and mark a 9-inch square onto them. Using a bread knife or another large, sharp knife, trim off the edges of all five slabs. Save the trimmings: They can be used later for decorating. To cut the front and back walls, reserve the smoothest, most unblemished gingerbread square for the front of your house. Using the template as a guide, cut two of the corners to make the top into a peaked shape. Take a second gingerbread square, and, again using the template, cut it to match. Set this piece aside. It will serve as your back wall. For the side walls, use the template to cut one 9-inch square in half. For the roof, set aside the last two 9-inch squares. If you're not using the template, take your ruler, and find the precise center of the top edge of your front wall, about 4½ inches from either side. Mark it with the tip of a knife. Place one end of the ruler on the mark, and angle the other end down to measure a line to the right edge of the wall. When the line is 6½ inches long from point to point, you have the correct angle. Mark the line with the tip of a small knife. Repeat on the other side, drawing the same line from the top-center mark to the left edge of the wall. Then, use your large knife to cut through the lines, slicing off the top corners. To cut the back wall, place the trimmed front wall on top of it and cut to match, following the lines of the front wall. For the side walls, cut one 9-inch square in half, to make two rectangles, each one 9 inches tall and 4½ inches wide. For the roof, set aside the final two squares. You'll use the whole pieces. For the optional doorway, lay the front wall piece on a work surface and, using a ruler and the tip of a small knife, trace a doorway in the center of the bottom edge. It should be about 1½ inches wide by 2½ inches tall, wide enough so you can slide a tealight into the house. Cut it out, and set the door aside.You don't have to make a stained-glass window for your gingerbread house, but it's an easy way to make the project truly special. 1. To start, heat the oven to 350 degrees. On the front wall, cut out the window as indicated in the template, using a 2-inch round cutter. Lift out the gingerbread circle, and discard - or eat! (Our template shows just one window on the front wall, but feel free to put one on the back wall, or to use a different shape of cookie cutter, like a star or a diamond.) 2. For each window, unwrap three hard candies. Red, yellow or green work best, but you'll most likely want to stick to a single color. Using a large knife, cut them into three pieces. Place the blade on top of each candy and lean your weight onto it from above; it will snap into pieces. 3. Place the wall on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Put the candy pieces in the circle in a single layer (you may have some left over). 4. To bake, lay a sheet of parchment paper or a baking mat on top of the gingerbread slab, then another sheet pan on top of that. The weight of the top pan will prevent the melted candy from oozing out onto the bottom pan. Slide it all into the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.5. Remove from the oven, place on a rack and let cool at least 10 minutes. Lift the weighted sheet pan, and let the wall cool completely, until the candy is hardened. To remove, lift the wall, gently peeling the liner from the candy. 6. Once it is cool, you can pipe a thin horizontal, and then a vertical, line of icing across the window, dividing it into a grid, or simply leave it alone.
• The key to a great gingerbread house, royal icing is just a mix of confectioners' sugar, egg whites and lemon juice. It's a crisp, bright white that makes beautiful snowflakes, snow-covered roof tiles and icicles. It's the only icing you need for this project: Our recipe yields three cups, enough for constructing the house, but you'll want to make a second, thinner batch for decoration.With the slabs cut, it's time to start piping on decorations. It's much easier to pipe onto a flat surface, so for the neatest result, you'll want to decorate the walls before assembling the house. First, sketch out a plan for decorating the front and back walls, so they are (somewhat) symmetrical. And prepare your royal icing for construction. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, make the icing you'll use to assemble the house by combining 1 pound of confectioners' sugar, 2 egg whites and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. For a softer icing, good for piped decorations, change the proportions slightly: 2 pounds confectioners' sugar, 5 egg whites, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. If you need an even softer version for flooding, add lemon juice until the icing is runny, like thick glue. Keep any icing covered with plastic wrap pressed against the surface to prevent drying. Now, gather your materials. Mr. Yosses recommends thick, sealable one-gallon plastic bags for piping instead of traditional pastry bags. As long as it isn't overfilled, the plastic bag works perfectly, and, for this project, you won't need any special tips. Working with about 1 cup of icing at a time, scoop it into the bag and seal. Push the icing down toward one of the bottom corners. For the cleanest result, use a bench scraper or the back of a knife blade to push all the icing into one corner. Twist the bag tightly shut just above the icing. If you're going to pipe for construction, snip a hole about ⅜-inch wide off the corner. For decorating, snip a hole ⅛-inch wide. Rest the icing-filled bag in your right palm (or left, if you're a lefty), and tightly grip the twisted part of the bag in the crook between your thumb and forefinger. Squeeze your fingers and palm together, pressing lightly to pipe the icing down and out. If you need greater control, use your nondominant hand to guide and stabilize the tip while the dominant hand does the piping. Practice on a sheet of parchment paper, and, once you feel confident, think of piping as a bit like drawing. On your gingerbread house, you can make outlines of doors, windows, shutters, roof tiles and other architectural elements to make your house look more realistic. You can also pipe on decorations like dots, and curlicues. A snowflake can be as simple as three crossed lines, with a dot on each tip. Curlicues, scallops and garlands are traditional, and can be reminiscent of the gingerbread trim on Victorian houses. To cover a large surface with snow, thin the royal icing with lemon juice until it's quite runny, then spoon or pipe it over the surface, working from the outside in. This is called flooding, because the icing flows and fills the space on its own. The royal icing for construction dries to be very hard over time. It will set strongly enough to hold a wall in 10 to 15 minutes, so keep that in mind as you work. Thinned icing will not dry quite so hard, but that's usually not a problem because it's used only for decorating, not for building the structure.
• After baking, cutting and piping comes the trickiest stage, assembling the house. Many a gingerbread-house builder has watched in frustration as one side falls while another is being put up. But with the aid of some savvily placed props and some sturdy royal icing, you can quickly move on to the last - and best - part: adding the finishing touches. To assemble the house, you'll first raise the front wall, then the side walls, and finally, slide the back wall into place. To start, pipe a thick line of icing onto your board, using a 9-inch square cut out of parchment paper as a guide. Then take the front wall, and place the bottom edge along one line of icing. Prop the wall up as it dries with a can, jar or mug. Wait a few minutes between the steps to allow the icing to harden slightly. If the square you drew begins to harden, add more icing. Next, pipe the icing up along the straight edges of the front wall. Press the short edges of the side walls against the iced edges of the front wall and down into place. Make sure that the front wall sits inside the side walls at the corners. (This is important, because it will ensure the roof fits correctly.) This kind of corner makes for a sturdy house. Pipe more icing into both of the corner seams to strengthen the seal, and prop up the side walls with a mug or jar. Next, place the back wall: Pipe icing along the line you drew for the base of the back wall. Pipe icing up the edges of the side wall, and press the front wall into place inside the side walls. Let dry at least 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the walls are straight and the icing seals are holding. Add more icing as needed. When the four walls are dry, place the roof, one side at a time. To do so, pipe a thick line of icing along the slanted edges of the house, and along the top of the side wall. Gently place the roof slab, adjusting so that the top of the roof lines up with the peak of the house. If the slab wants to slide down, remove it, add more icing and place again, propping it up from beneath with a ramekin or anything handy. Let it harden before attaching the other side. There will be a gap at the top, along the roofline. Fill it with icing.If you happen to have a 9-inch square box with low sides on hand, build the house around it. The extra support will be welcome. As you build, feel free to pipe with abandon wherever you see gaps. Royal icing is very strong when it hardens, and it will only add stability.While the icing is still hardening, don't be hesitant about taking things apart and putting them back together. If you place something that doesn't look quite right, you'll be happier in the long run if you redo it. Scrape any excess icing off the outside walls, but don't bother with the inside.
• Once the house is standing, the real fun begins. Here are two possible looks for your house: One is a romantic, snowy scene, with natural decorations like sliced almonds and shredded coconut, and the other is bright and bold, with candy canes, gumdrops, confetti sprinkles and hard candy. Follow one or the other, combine elements of each, or wing it and make your own.For this house, edible silver glitter, nonpareils, flaked sweetened coconut, pretzel rods, sliced almonds, shredded wheat, mini marshmallows and chocolate clusters would make for elegant decorations. If you want to make the whole thing to look a bit more Nordic, add some icicles. Use decorating icing to pipe a pea-sized blob onto the surface, leaving the tip in place. Then, without squeezing, quickly pull the tip away and up to make a pointy spike of icing. It becomes easier with practice. FOR THE DOORS AND WINDOWS • Decorate the door with a white border and a diamond-shaped window. • Use a mini marshmallow as a doorknob. • Pipe white window frames and panes, or a snowflake above each window. FOR THE ROOF • Pipe on gables, bricks or tiles. • For a thatched roof, use shredded wheat to make shingles. • Stick on nonpareils for a rustic look. • Dust silver glitter or confectioners' sugar on top for fresh snow. FOR THE WALKWAY • Sketch out a curved path to the front door. • Cover the path in royal icing, and pave it with Tootsie Rolls or sliced almonds. • Line the walkway on each side with marshmallows or chocolate clusters. FOR THE LANDSCAPING • Flood the area around the house with runny icing to make a smooth coat of snow, or use coconut sprinkled on top of a layer of royal icing to make a thicker sheet of snow. • The trimmed gingerbread edges can be arranged as a wall around the yard. • The sticks of green rock candy can be trimmed down to make trees. • Fresh sprigs of pine, holly or rosemary can be tucked around the base of the house or piled to look like bushes. • Stack a log pile by the side of the house, using broken pretzel rods or whole cinnamon sticks. Glue the logs together (and make it look snowy) with royal icing.Nonpareils, sugarcoated gumdrops, mini candy canes, round red-and-white peppermints, confetti sprinkles, Gummi Bears, gumballs, cinnamon candies, Chiclets and red licorice are great options for a colorful home. Use mini candy canes, placed facing each other, to make a heart shape on the walls. You'll want also to use food coloring to tint batches of royal icing, making a true red and a dark leaf green (like a holly sprig). But for the most vibrant results, use gel coloring. FOR THE DOORS AND WINDOWS • Decorate the door with a white border and a diamond-shaped window, then add a piped green wreath with red holly berries. • Stick on a small red candy as a doorknob. • Pipe white window frames and panes, then add green shutters. • Pipe green garlands or white snowflakes over each window. FOR THE ROOF • Stick Chiclets or Twizzlers snipped into pieces to look like bricks, or make green or red shingles by cutting sticks of chewing gum into small, moldable rectangles. FOR THE WALKWAY • Sketch out a curved path to the front door. Cover the path in royal icing, and pave it with cinnamon candies or confetti sprinkles. • Line each side with green gumballs or round peppermint candies. FOR THE LANDSCAPING • Flood the area around the house with runny icing to make a smooth coat of snow. • Cluster a family of Gummi Bears near the door. • Make bushes out of green gumdrops.

Steps:

• Mix ingredients in order given.
• Flour liberally! It will start out a bit sticky. Just keep adding flour to your board and your rolling pin. Turn it often.
• Roll to a maximum thickness 1/4" (1 cm).
• Bake at 350°F until brown and slightly crisp. It is hard to give a time for how long to bake. It depends on how many pieces you have on your sheet, how thick they are, etc. I found that they all needed a minimum of 8 minutes. And then I just kept checking every 3 minutes after that.
• Dust the flour off of the pieces after they have cooled. A pstry brush works well for this.
• Glue: Melt a fair amount of sugar in a large heavy pan over low heat. Mom used a cast iron pan. We started with about 2 cups of sugar and ended up adding about another cup. Keep stirring and waiting. You want the sugar to get to the point where it is almost a clear brown. Be careful though, the "glue" burns BADLY if dripped on skin.
• Mom would simply "dip" the edge of the piece that she wanted to glue into the sugar and then press it with the other piece. When it cools, it is VERY hard and holds very well. It does cool quickly though, so work fast.
• For Icing: Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add in all of the icing sugar.
• To make cookies: Bake until lightly browned for soft cookies. Crisp cookies will keep better though.
• There is enough dough to make a house and a free form base to put your house on. Or you can simply make a bunch of cookies with the "leftovers".
• Mom has some hand drawn pictures of how to cut out the house. Here are her measurements and directions.
• Cut 2 side walls: 7" x 4".
• Cut 2 roof panels: 9 1/2" x 8".
• Cut 4 chimney pieces: 2 1/4" x 1 1/4" (in two of them, cut a 1" V into the bottom so that it will "straddle" the peak of the roof).
• Cut 2 end walls: 6" x 9" (4" up the sides, cut diagonally to the top center to make a point). In one end, cut out door and two windows. Bake the door along side.
• For the windows: Place foil underneath and fill with crushed lollipop. Bake as usual.
• Base: Simply roll out the leftover dough to make a free form base. Make sure that it is wide enough for the house.
• NOTE ABOUT CLEAN-UP: Don't fret! Your pan that you melted the sugar in is certainly not ruined! All you need to do is add some hot water, let sit for a little while (5-10 minutes) and then rinse it out. If for some reason, that isn't quite working, simply heat the pan full of water over low heat for a short while (again, about 10 minutes).