COOKIE HOUSES

Cookie Houses image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes about 3 dozen

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 batch Chocolate Dough or Vanilla Dough
Gel food color
Whole peppermint candies
Vanilla and Citrus Glazes, for decorating

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tint dough with food color as desired. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Using a 2 3/4-inch square cutter, cut out squares. Cut some squares in half on the diagonal to form triangles (for roof). Overlap squares and triangles to form houses. Using a small fluted cutter (for window), cut out rounds within roofs where you want "stained glass" to appear. Using a small rectangular cutter (for door), cut out rectangles within houses. Working with dough in a contrasting color, use the same rectangular cutter to cut out puzzle pieces that fit within cutouts. Using a #12 Ateco pastry tip (for door knob), cut out circles. Transfer all shapes and pieces to parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Fit puzzle pieces into cookies. Refrigerate 30 minutes more.
Bake 4 minutes. Fill windows with candy. Bake until cookies are firm and candies are melted, 5 to 11 minutes more. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. Affix circles to doors using a dot of glaze.