The classic Christmas tradition of gingerbread houses! This is a great way to get creative, messy and a yummy treat at the end!

 

Gingerbread dough

  • 3 cups (375g) plain flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120ml) molasses 
  • 1 Tablespoon (15ml) water
  • assorted lollies/ chocolates for decorating

 

Royal Icing

  • 6 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 5 Tablespoons meringue powder/ mix
  • 11-12 Tablespoons room temperature water
  • optional for decorating: gel food colouring

 

Method

Gingerbread

Step 1

Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

 

Step 2

In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses, and water on high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Cookie dough will be very thick.

 

Step 3

Divide cookie dough in half, flatten into discs (about 4-5 inches in diameter), and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 3 days.

 

Step 4

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

 

Step 5

House template here 

Cut into shapes: Remove each disc from the refrigerator and roll each out in between two pieces of parchment paper. gingerbread cookie dough will stick to your counter no matter how much you flour it. Parchment is best. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. You want thick pieces for your gingerbread house. Lightly flour the underside of gingerbread house template shapes. (The dough is sticky and the paper may stick to it otherwise.) Using a pizza cutter or small knife, carefully cut the dough into the gingerbread house template shapes. You will need TWO of each shape. Re-roll dough scraps so you have enough dough for the whole house. Use any extra dough to create fun shapes using cookie cutters.

 

Step 6

Carefully arrange gingerbread house shapes onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. If they lost some of their shape transferring to the baking sheet, straighten out the edges

 

Step 7

Bake house pieces for about 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow shapes to cool completely on the baking sheets or on the counter. A flat surface is KEY for cooling—the gingerbread house edges very slightly curl up otherwise. Cooled gingerbread house pieces can be made up to 1 week in advance, cover tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months, thaw at room temperature before using.

 

Royal Icing

Step 8

While the gingerbread is cooling, make the royal icing: Pour confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 9 Tablespoons of water into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 – 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. use up to 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, you can use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more sifted confectioners’ sugar.

 

House construction

Step 9

Construct the base of the house: Select a base for your gingerbread house, Eg. a wooden cake server. Start with two pieces: the front of the house and 1 side. Using a squeeze bottle, run a thick line of royal icing on one long edge and one short edge of the side of the house piece. Stick it to your base. Use whatever you have around the house to help it stand up. You can also prop it up with full cans, a tall cup, water bottle, etc. Run a line of royal icing along the bottom of the front of the house piece. Stick it to your base, adhering it to the side of the house piece. Hold the two in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set, propping them up as necessary. Repeat with the 2nd side of the house piece and back of the house piece. Pipe royal icing inside any seams, inside and outside of the house, to fill any voids. Don’t be afraid to go heavy on the royal icing “glue”—when it dries, it looks like snow! Allow it to set at room temperature for at least 1 hour before adding the roof pieces.

 

Step 10

Add the roof: The roof pieces will be placed on top of the house base. Run a thick line of royal icing on the inside edges of one of the roof pieces and adhere it to the base. Hold in place for a few minutes. Repeat with 2nd roof piece. Run a thick line of royal icing where the two roof pieces meet at the top of the house. Hold in place for a few minutes.

 

Step 11

House must set: Before decorating, the icing on the entire house must completely set. Allow the entire house to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours, preferably 4-6 hours or even overnight before decorating. Cover and store leftover royal icing at room temperature or in the refrigerator during this time. It will be the glue for adhering decorations to the house.

 

Step 12

Decorate! Let your imagination run wild!

 

Source: Gingerbread House Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (sallysbakingaddiction.com)