Best Holiday Gingerbread House Recipes

HOW TO MAKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Whisk the flour and spices: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
• Prepare the oven and cookie sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.
• Roll out the dough: Spread parchment paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough, and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.
• Bake: Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6 to 8 minutes for the small pieces. Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.
• Make the royal icing: Whisk the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of the powdered sugar together until smooth . If you are planning to eat your gingerbread house and are concerned about the safety of raw eggs, you can cook the egg white powdered sugar mixture in a double boiler until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160°F, but not higher than 175° (for more information, read How to Pasteurize Eggs at Home ). You can also use pasteurized dried or liquid egg whites.
• Place a dampened clean towel over the bowl of royal icing: Keep this towel over the icing to prevent it from drying out while you work with it.
• Pipe the icing with a pastry bag or cut freezer bag: When you are ready to mortar or decorate, fill a pastry bag with the icing. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can make your own with a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, just cut off the tip (a small cut) of one of the corners of the bag. Plastic or metal piping tips are available in supermarkets which you can also use with a freezer bag, for more controlled piping. Build the House Using Royal Icing as Mortar This is where it really helps to have more than two hands working on a house, and why making a gingerbread house is so much more fun with company than alone. If you are working on this alone, it may help to grab some canned goods from the pantry and use the cans to help prop up the pieces while the icing mortar is drying.
• Pick and line a base: Pick a solid base for your gingerbread house - either a flat cookie sheet, or a thick, sturdy piece of cardboard. If you want, line the base with aluminum foil or wax paper.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

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.

HOLIDAY GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Mix sugar and water until blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon into resealable bag. Cut small piece off bottom corner of bag. Use to secure all assembled graham pieces and decorations on house as described in following steps.
• Break whole grahams crosswise in half. Assemble house, using 1 graham square for floor and 4 squares for walls. Cut 1 of the remaining graham squares diagonally in half; secure to tops of 2 opposite walls for roof supports. Top with remaining graham squares for the roof. Let stand 5 min.
• Decorate with remaining 1/2 graham and all other remaining ingredients to resemble gingerbread house as shown in photo.

HOLIDAY (GINGERBREAD) COOKIE HOUSE

Steps:

• In Addition you will need: flat baking sheet, parchment paper or foil, lightweight cardboard, pencil, scissors, sharp knife, 9 inch square piece of heavy cardboard, Pastry bag with writing tip and star tip, candies, nuts, raisins, etc for decorating.
• Sift together dry ingredients in a med bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy.
• Beat in honey, molasses and egg.
• With floured hands, work flour mix into moist ingredients until well mixed.
• Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Roll dough out onto it.
• Return to fridge for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Trace on the lightweight cardboard outlines of a roof rectangle, 2 1/2"x4 1/2", front/back rectangle, 4 1/2"x3" and side pieces with a roof point on one end, 2 3/4" wide, 3" from bottom to diagnal cut, 2" at an angle to make the roof point.
• Place the cut out pieces on the rolled out dough and cut around them with a sharp knife point, twice for piece, leaving the cut out dough on the pan and removing the dough between the pieces.
• (you can roll this dough out for cookies) Make a tree for the yard if desired.
• Bake on middle shelf until edges are slightly browned.
• 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
• Make the decorator frosting by beating the egg whites and cream of tartar together until frothy.
• Beat in honey and vanilla.
• Slowly add dry milk, beating until stiff and glossy.
• Place 1/2 of the frosting into a pastry bag with the writing tip.
• Cover the rest as this frosting hardens quickly.
• Draw on your doors and windows.
• (if the frosting is too thick, thin slightly with honey. If not thick enough, beat in more dry milk) Line the edges of the cookie pieces as you work, gluing the house together and onto the foil covered heavy cardboard.
• You will have to hold each piece together for about 2 minutes to allow frosting to dry and hold.
• Tint the rest of the frosting with food coloring to finish decorating your house.
• Maybe a wreath for the front door, curtains in the windows and to color in the door or to paint your house (thin out to brush on the paint, paint in thin layers, drying between layers) To make the vanillia frosting for snow and icicles, etc.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.
• Beat in honey and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in dry milk.
• If icing is not firm enough, add more milk.
• Outline all the joints and the eaves (where the roof joins the house) of your house with this frosting.
• If desired, form the icicles with the writing tip under the roof and outline the roof with candies or nuts by pushing them into the icing.
• Beat about 1/2 cup of the dried milk into remaining frosting.
• Spread out around the house creating snow.
• Place candies or nuts creating a walk to the door.
• Make"snowdrifts" in front of the windows.
• Push trees into drifts.
• To make a snowman, roll a 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch icing balls between your palms, pressing the two together.
• Use small bits of nuts or candies to make his face.
• Lightly press the snowman into the snow in the front yard, adding more frosting to secure him in place if necessary.
• Roll out 2 long pieces of icing between palms to make snowdrifts and place them on each side of the walk.
• Let house dry for 24 hours.