Samuels Gingerbread Birdhouse Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until well blended.
• Beat the granulated sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl starting on low speed and increasing to medium, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses until combined, then beat in the egg (the mixture will look curdled). Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture a little at a time until the mixture comes together. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until well incorporated and a sticky dough forms. Divide the dough in half, flatten into 2 disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Keeping one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk on a well-floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking. If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in. With a 4-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out cookies as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape and use a small spatula to transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Gather together the scraps, leaving behind the excess flour, knead a few times to form a smooth dough again and reroll in the same way. (If there are any pieces of stuck dough on your surface, scrape them away with a spatula, flour the surface again and then continue to roll the dough.)
• Bake the cookies in the center of the oven racks, rotating them from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until slightly firm to the touch but not brown, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before icing. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
• Meanwhile, make the royal icing for decorating. Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on low until the icing thickens. The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. (If overbeaten, it will get aerated, which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the icing sit for a bit to settle, then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth it out.)
• Spoon about 1/3 cup of icing into each of 3 separate bowls (cover any remaining icing with plastic wrap and reserve in case you need more). Leave 1 bowl white. Dye the second bowl black and the third light brown. Thin out the light brown icing with 1 teaspoon water. Transfer the icing to separate resealable plastic bags. Snip a very tiny hole in the corner of the white and black icing bags, and snip a larger hole in the corner of the light brown icing bag.
• Place each cookie right side up in front of you. With the black icing, pipe an outline around the head of each cookie, around the arms and across the chest with a bowed line. Turn the gingerbread man upside down so it is standing on its head; now you can see the shape of the reindeer's head. Pipe black antlers coming out of the top of the head, over the gingerbread man's legs and feet.
• Using the loose light brown icing, flood each reindeer's head, using a toothpick to nudge the icing into any tight spots. Place a red cinnamon candy in the center of each face for the nose. Dry until set, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• Once the brown base has dried, pipe on the rest of the face. Pipe 2 white dots above the nose for the whites of the eyes, and 2 white dots on the underside of the ears for downy fur. Use the black icing to pipe a smiling mouth and eyebrows. Once the white icing has slightly dried, pipe in black pupils. Give your reindeer some personality! Let the icing dry until hardened, 1 hour or ideally overnight.
• The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but are best eaten fresh.

Steps:

• Make the basic gingerbread house cookie dough
• Melt the shortening and butter together in a medium saucepan. Let cool.
• Sift the flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Mix the melted butter into the flour mixture with an electric mixer until sandy. Add the corn syrup and vanilla, and mix until evenly incorporated, but still crumbly in texture. Press the dough together by hand and divide into 8 equal parts. Press into rough squares about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Place the dough on top of a flour-dusted sheet of parchment. Roll a square of dough about 1/4-inch thick and into an 8- by 11-inch rectangle. Repeat with all the remaining squares. Stack them up and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Cut the pieces:
• Meanwhile, click here to e-mail a link of the template to your desktop or laptop computer for printing. Print the file at 100% on letter size paper and cut out the pieces. Remove the top sheet of parchment from the dough. Lay the templates on the rolled dough slabs and cut out all the pieces with a long, sharp knife or pizza cutter. (You will have a total of 8 cut panels plus 3 extra sheets for cookies. Cut out the remaining dough with cookie cutters of your choice.) Use a 1 1/2-inch circle cookie cutter to cut the hole for the door opening into one of the tall walls. Stack panels on a cookie sheet and chill 45 minutes to set. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven racks evenly. Bake the gingerbread shapes until they are a rich tawny brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. With a fine kitchen rasp, file the panels to make all the edges straight.
• Thicken some royal icing:
• Thicken about 2 cups of the Royal Icing with either cornstarch and a couple of drops of vinegar, or extra confectioners' sugar, to get the consistency of caulk. Fit a pastry bag with a medium round tip and fill it with the thickened icing.
• Put up a wall:
• Pipe a generous amount of royal icing along the bottom and the sides of a short wall. Center the wall 3/4 inch from one edge, directly onto the base. Use a box or can to help support the walls while they dry.
• Put up other walls:
• Pipe royal icing along the bottom of a tall wall, and stick it to the base with an edge pressed against the icing on the first wall. Repeat with the remaining two walls in the same manner until the four walls are up, making an open box with a 3/4-inch border all around the base. (The two tall walls will face each other.) Allow the icing to dry completely, about 24 hours, before attaching the roof.
• Attach the roof:
• Ice the sloped edges on one side of the house and attach the big roof piece. (Line up the top of the roof with the peaks of the tall walls.) Use a box or can to prop up the overhang of the roof while it dries in place. Attach the smaller roof piece on the other side of the slope (prop it up with a box or can) leaving the same amount of overhang. Leave the top open for now. The last roof panel is the lid and will go there when all is dry. Pipe royal icing neatly on the outside of the seams to secure them, and allow the house to dry for 24 hours.
• Decorate:
• Fit tips into piping bags. Divide the remaining royal icing into batches and color as desired. Fill bags with frosting and decorate the house and roof with icing and candies if using. Allow to dry. Fill the house with cookies. Rest the remaining roof slab on the house to make a lid. Enjoy.

Steps:

• For the gingerbread birdhouse: Melt the shortening and butter together in a medium saucepan. Let cool. Sift the flour, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Mix the melted butter into the flour mixture with an electric mixer until sandy. Add the corn syrup and vanilla, and mix until evenly incorporated, but still crumbly in texture. Press the dough together by hand and divide into 8 equal parts. Press into rough squares about 1-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Place the dough on top of a flour-dusted sheet of parchment. Roll a square of dough about 1/4-inch thick and into an 8- by 11-inch rectangle. Repeat with all the remaining squares. Stack them up and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, click here to e-mail a link of the template to your desktop or laptop computer for printing. Print the file at 100-percent on letter-size paper and cut out the pieces. Remove the top sheet of parchment from the dough. Lay the templates on the rolled dough slabs and cut out all the pieces with a long, sharp knife or pizza cutter. (You will have a total of 8 cut panels plus 3 extra sheets for cookies. Cut out the remaining dough with cookie cutters of your choice.) Use a 1 1/2-inch circle cookie cutter to cut the hole for the door opening into one of the tall walls. Stack panels on a cookie sheet and chill 45 minutes to set.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven racks so they are evenly spaced.
• Bake the gingerbread shapes until they are a rich tawny brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. With a fine kitchen rasp, file the panels to make all the edges straight.
• Thicken about 2 cups of the Royal Icing with either cornstarch and a couple of drops of vinegar, or confectioners' sugar, to get the consistency of caulk. Fit a pastry bag with a medium round tip and fill it with the thickened icing. Pipe a generous amount of Royal Icing along the bottom and the sides of a short wall. Center the wall of the base 3/4 inch from one edge. Use a box or can to help support the walls while they dry. Pipe Royal Icing along the bottom of a tall wall, and stick it to the base with an edge pressed against the icing on the first wall. Repeat with the remaining two walls in the same manner until the four walls are up, making an open box with a 3/4-inch border all around the base. (The two tall walls will face each other.) Allow the icing to dry completely, about 24 hours, before attaching the roof.
• Ice the sloped edges on one side of the house and attach the big roof piece. (Line up the top of the roof with the peaks of the tall walls.) Use a box or can to prop up the overhang of the roof while it dries in place. Attach the smaller roof piece on the other side of the slope (prop it up with a box or can) leaving the same amount of overhang. Leave the top open for now. The last roof panel is the lid and will go there when all is dry. Pipe Royal Icing neatly on the outside of the seams to secure them, and allow the house to dry for 24 hours.
• Fit tips into piping bags. Divide the remaining Royal Icing into batches and color as desired. Fill bags with the icing and decorate the house and roof with icing and candies if using. Allow to dry. Fill the house with cookies. Rest the remaining roof slab on the house to make a lid. Enjoy.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl. Mix slowly with an electric mixer until stiff enough to form peaks; the icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. If the frosting is over beaten, it will get aerated which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the frosting sit to settle, and then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth out the frosting.
• Add up to 1 tablespoon food coloring and mix with a rubber spatula until the color is uniform. Gels are best with royal icing. You don't want to thin them with liquid colors. Be careful of adding too much color, which reduces the sheen of the frosting and can break down the consistency of the frosting over a couple of days. Store the icing at room temperature, covered, with plastic wrap on the surface.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cookies: In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and allspice. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar with a hand mixer. Add the cream cheese and the mix until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and blend until fluffy. Slowly add the flour and mix until dough is combined. Turn out onto floured board and knead until dough is smooth. Divide dough into thirds and roll out to 1/4-inch thick pieces. Cut out shapes with sharp knife or dough cutter and transfer to a greased parchment lined cookie sheet. Crush candies in a baggy and spoon into cutouts. Bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned and candies are thoroughly melted. Let cool on cookie sheet. Decorate with Royal Icing.
• For the icing: In a large mixing bowl, combine the meringue powder and sugar. Gradually whisk in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until icing has a creamy texture. Use the icing as a glue to assemble the houses, as desired.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the gingerbread, melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan over a low heat. Combine the flour, bicarb and ginger in a large bowl, then stir in the wet ingredients to make a stiff dough. If it's dry, add a drop of water.
• Roll out the dough on a sheet of baking parchment to the thickness of two £1 coins. Cut out sections of the house, so you have two side walls, a front and back wall, two roof panels, a base and chimney pieces. Find our template here.
• Bake for 15-18 mins, or until firm. To ensure the pieces fit together, remove from the oven three-quarters of the way through baking, then use the templates again to trim the excess. Return to the oven to finish baking, then leave to cool completely.
• For the decorations, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Spread some over the front and back panels using a palette knife, starting from the bottom and working up. Attach the biscuit sticks to the chocolate, snapping them to fit, for a log cabin effect. Leave to set for at least 1 hr. For the perch, snap the candy cane into a 3cm piece at the hooked end, then stick to the front panel with more chocolate. For extra support, cut a chocolate finger to fit and stick upright beneath the candy cane to look like a wooden post. Leave to set overnight, propped against a can.
• For the royal icing, beat the sugar, egg whites and lemon juice together in the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric whisk until stiff and smooth. Add a little water to loosen, but don't make it runny. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel so it doesn't dry out.
• Next, decorate the two side walls. Colour 2 tbsp of the royal icing yellow using food colouring, then loosen with a drop of water. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle. Loosen another 2 tbsp royal icing with a drop of water and spoon into a second piping bag, then snip off the end. Pipe three half-loops across the tops of the side panels using the plain icing to create a string, then stick on sugar-coated chocolate balls for lights, alternating the colours. Pipe windows and panes using the yellow icing, then pipe a line beneath the windows and stick on a piece of biscuit stick for a ledge. Leave to dry for 30 mins.
• Spoon another 100g royal icing into a piping bag and snip off a large 5mm hole. Put the base panel on a cake stand or plate. Pipe a line 2.5cm in from the back edge and attach the back panel. Repeat with the other wall panels. Gently push 25g white fondant icing into each corner at the base for extra support, then pipe more royal icing along the inside joins from top to bottom. Place mugs around the house so the handles press into each wall for support. Leave to set for 1-2 hrs.
• Make a robin using brown, red and yellow fondant, rolling small balls of white fondant for the eyes and drawing on pupils using the pen. Make Santa's legs with red and black fondant, and a snowman using some white fondant (attach biscuit stick arms, then decorate with small pieces of black and red fondant for mittens), presents in various colours and white fondant snowballs. Spoon another 2 tbsp royal icing into a small piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Use to pipe a hat brim and pom-pom on the robin, then pipe trim on the hem of Santa's trousers. For the wreath, roll out 100g green fondant and stamp out a 6cm circle using a biscuit cutter, then stamp a 2cm circle from the middle. Snip around the edge using scissors for a pine needle effect, then roll small red fondant balls and stick to the wreath.
• Once the house is dry, attach the roof panels with more royal icing. The angle is steep, so you may need to hold these in place for a few minutes while they set. Leave to dry completely, ideally overnight.
• Stick the four chimney pieces together with royal icing in the same way you made the walls. Leave to set for 1 hr. Re-melt the chocolate and paint some onto the chimney. Attach some biscuit sticks, breaking to fit until the chimney is covered, then attach the chimney to the house using more royal icing. Leave to set for 30 mins. Roll out 200g green fondant and cut out 100 small circles using a piping nozzle. Brush edible glue over the roof and attach the green circles. Use more glue to attach the chocolate buttons on top.
• Fill a piping bag with more royal icing, snip off a 5mm hole and pipe 'snow' over the roof and window ledges, pulling away along the roof edge and chimney to create icicles. Affix the wreath, robin, snowman, Santa's legs, presents and snowballs using royal icing. Leave to set for 1 hr. Will keep on display for up to two weeks.