SNOW-SWEPT GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Snow-Swept Gingerbread Cottage image

This recipe is used to make our Snow-Swept Gingerbread Cottage.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

All-purpose flour, for dusting
Molasses-Gingerbread Cookie Dough
Caramel Syrup for Gingerbread House
Royal Icing for Gingerbread House
Clear rock candy
Sanding sugar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out gingerbread dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Lightly dust top of dough with flour. Place templates on top, and cut out shapes with a paring knife. (Use a small utility knife to cut out the windows.) Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Working with one piece at a time, frostchimney shapes with royal icing; sprinkle withrock candy while still wet (leave all but toppart of one side free for attaching to house).Set aside to dry.
To make windows, line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Make caramel syrup. Place a gingerbread section on prepared sheet, flat side down; pour caramel syrup into window spaces. Let syrup cool and harden on baking sheet before turning over and decorating.
Using a pastry bag with a fine plain tip (No. 1),pipe royal icing around windows and doorsand down side edges of house. While icing isstill wet, sprinkle with sanding sugar. Gentlyshake off excess sugar, and let dry.
Pipe windowpanes, door-frame details, and Christmas-tree edging with the #1 tip. Switch to an open-star tip (No. 16) to accent the corners of the windows and doors.
When decorations have dried, assemble house, roof, and chimney pieces, following our step-by-step how-to. When assembling chimney, attach two side pieces to front at the base, then attach sloped sides; finish with top two side pieces. Brush edges at top of assembled chimney with caramel; secure top piece in place. To attach chimney, pipe icing on side without candy; quickly press onto house, holding firmly until set. Use the No. 16 tip to create shingle pattern on roof and eaves.