|
Christmas Craft Projects - Gingerbread House
Contributed by: Emily Reinson
What you need: 1 cup brown sugar (dark); 1-3/4 cups corn syrup (light);
8 cups un-sifted flour; 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger;
1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup margarine; Icing (recipe below); Variety of candies for decorating.
What to do:
1. Stir together cinnamon,
ginger, flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. In 2 quart saucepan, stirring occasionally, heat corn syrup,
brown sugar and margarine over medium heat until margarine is melted.
3. Stir into
flour mixture until well blended. On waxed paper, form dough into oblong shape;
cut into three equal parts. Do not refrigerate dough before rolling it out.
Icing:
Prepare icing
just before decorating pieces. In large bowl with mixer at low speed, beat 1
pound confectioner’s sugar, 3 egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
until blended. Beat at high speed, scraping sides frequently, 7 to 10 minutes or
until knife drawn through mixture leaves a path. Keep covered with damp cloth at
all times.
Pattern Pieces: On lightweight
cardboard, draw house pattern pieces. Place on board or several layers of
newspaper and, using a ruler and mat knife, or single-edged razor blade in
holder, cut out pattern
pieces.
To Cut and pieces: Line three
15-1/2 x 12 inch cookie sheets with foil, wrapping foil under edges. Place
one-third of dough on each cookie sheet. (Place damp cloth under cookie
sheets to prevent sliding.) Roll out each piece of dough to 14-1/2 x 11-1/2
inch rectangle. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Dust pattern pieces
lightly with flour. Remove one cookie sheet of dough from refrigerator.
Arrange pattern pieces for back, front and door on dough, leaving 1/2 inch
between each piece. With sharp, pointed paring knife, using a ruler edge as
a guide, carefully cut out each piece. Carefully remove patterns after
cutting. Remove all excess dough and wrap in plastic wrap; set aside. Bake
in 350° F oven 15 to 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool
completely before removing from foil. Remove second cookie sheet of dough
from refrigerator. Cut 4 pieces 7 x 10", 2 for sides and 2 for roof. Arrange pattern pieces for one side of cottage and one
roof piece on dough, leaving 1/2 inch between each piece. Carefully cut out
each piece. Remove patterns and excess dough, saving dough as before. Bake
15 to 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool completely before
removing from foil. Remove remaining cookie sheet of dough from
refrigerator. Arrange patterns for second side of house, second roof
piece, and shutters (cut 6) on dough, leaving 1/2 inch between each piece.
Carefully cut out pieces. Remove patterns and excess
dough. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool completely
before removing from foil.
Extra Cookies: Re-roll extra dough on
lightly floured surface to 1/16 inch thickness. Cut out cookies in desired
shapes. Bake in 3500 F oven 5 to 8 minutes or until edges begin to
brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.
To Decorate: Before assembling,
decorate front, back, sides, shutters and door with candy, using icing to attach
candies. Using plain icing tip and plastic bag, trim with icing. (Roof is
decorated after house is assembled.) Attach shutters to both sides of all 3
windows by placing small amount of icing on undecorated side of shutter and
position. Allow to dry completely.
Assemble House: Cover 13 x 13 inch
heavy cardboard with foil. In center, draw 10 x 10 inch square to serve as
guideline for base of house. Set aside. On back piece of house, spread icing
along edge of one side and along bottom edge. On one side piece of house spread
icing along inside edge of one side and bottom edge. Following pre-drawn
guidelines, carefully stand back and side wall pieces on cardboard base, placing
edge of back wall against inside edge of side wall. Spread extra icing on inside
seams for extra strength. Back and side should stand alone. On other side piece
of house, spread icing on inside edge of side that will form seam with back wall
and bottom edge. Spread icing on edge of remaining side of back piece of house.
Attach side piece to back and base following pre-drawn guidelines. Spread extra
icing on inside seams. On front piece of house, spread icing on edges of both
sides and along bottom edge. Spread icing on inside edges of sides of side
walls. Attach front piece to sides. Spread extra icing on inside seams. Let set
about 5 minutes. To attach roof, spread icing along top edges of front wall and
front half of side walls. Place one roof piece on front of house; hold or prop
in place about 7 minutes or until set. On roof pieces, spread icing along seam
edges where roof pieces will meet. Spread icing along top edges of back wall and
side walls. Place remaining roof section on back of house so that roof pieces
meet to form peak; hold or prop in place about 7 minutes or until set. Use icing
to fill in any spaces along peak of roof. Decorate roof with candies as shown.
Spread icing on back of door and attach to front of house.
Back
|
Unleash Your Creativity