Prep Time
1 Hour
Cook Time
15 minutes
Serves
Two 7″ Houses
Ingredients
- 5 cups Flour
- 1 t. Baking soda
- 1/2 t. Salt
- 2 t. Ginger
- 1 t. Cinnamon
- 1/2 t. Nutmeg
- 1/2 t. Ground Cloves
- 1 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (make your own)
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Molasses
- 1 t. Vanilla Extract
- Sugar 1/2 cup, as needed for glue
Steps
- Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- In large mixer bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add molasses and vanilla and beat until evenly blended (about 2 minutes).
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture 1 cup at a time. Dough should be firm but not dry or crumbly.
- Divide dough in half, place in place in plastic wrap and flatten dough into a thick rectangle. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Heat oven to 350. Working with one piece at a time, remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a generously floured surface. With a lightly dusted rolling pin, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness (if you make your dough thicker you will have to increase baking time to have stiff walls)
- Place cut out gingerbread templates on dough and cut each piece using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Carefully transfer cut pieces to a cookie sheet using a spatula. Transfer without stretching or pushing on the sides (however it is shaped the end product will be like that
- Once dough is on the cookie sheets this is your time to cute out windows with cookie cutters or by hand and imprint any decorations you would like imbedded in the hard wall for ascetics. Skip if you want it plain or simple.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer pieces to cooling rack and let cool a couple of hours. (if your shape is messed up at all cut while warm with a shape knife, placing template back on top. Its a hassle but a life saver if misshaped)
- After pieces are cooled and feel firm and sturdy (pop back in the oven if too soft or bending for 5-10 minutes) Take a non stick pan and pour in 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar, stir at medium heat until melted
- Turn temp down, work quickly and carefully (sugar is extremely hot), Lay the back of the house face down on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.
- Dip one side in melted sugar and firmly press in position, holding for about 5-10 seconds until dry. (if sugar is too thick it won’t stick well, just heat back up on a higher temp, should be a liquidy consistency.)
- Lay the front of your house face down, now dip both sides (that are attached to the back of the house) in melted sugar and press into place on the inside of the front, carefully adjusting each side to line up. All walls are on now so continue with the roof.
- Lay one section of roof down and dip the top of the walls into the melted sugar, then press onto the roof, checking positioning. Repeat with the last section.
- Attach chimney using the same method
