BEST GINGERBREAD HOUSE

BEST GINGERBREAD HOUSE image

Categories Dessert Bake Christmas Kid-Friendly Pastry

Yield 1 house with figures

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

5 c. flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3 tsp powdered sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 c. unsulphured molasses (like Grandmas)

Steps:

1. Over moderate heat, melt shortening in saucepan. Add granulated sugar and molasses and stir until sugar is dissolved. Sift flour and remaining ingredients together in a bowl. 2. Measure 1c. dry ingredients from mixing bowl, reserving it, and gradually add the rest of the dry ingredients to melted shortening mixture. Stir until blended thoroughly. Remove mixture from heat and transfer from saucepan to pastry board or countertop. Add remaining cup of dry mixture by hand. Blend thoroughly and divide the dough into 3 equal parts, shaping each portion into a ball. (AT THIS POINT DOUGH CAN BE FROZEN OR REFRIGERATED) 3. Place each ball on a separate cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle uniformly 1/4" thick. (TIP: Placing a damp towel under each cookie sheet will keep it from sliding while rolling out the dough.) 4. Following the instructions below, use all the metal forms in your kit to cut out the parts to construct the house. 5. Bake the cut parts right on the ungreased cookie sheets at 375F for 13-15 mins or until lightly brown. Immediately recut the windows but do not remove the pieces until the dough has cooled. All baked parts must remain on the cookie sheets until fully cooled. Instructions for cutting out house parts: From the first dough ball, cut the 2 Front/Back walls. from the 2nd dough ball, cut 2 End walls. From the 3rd dough ball, cut 2 Roof parts. From excess dough, cut 4 Chimney pieces and any other desired pieces. Use the window cutting forms to recut out the windows in appropriate places, but leave the dough in the windows so the openings don't lose their shape while baking. Roof sections should be icing glued to pieces of cardboard first, then glue a piece of brown paper to join the 2 roof sections as with a hinge.