There are so many Christmas traditions to relish in this season. There is one tradition, in particular, that is simply delicious to try – making a gingerbread house. While anyone can find a gingerbread kit at the local grocery store this time of year, you can make your gingerbread house truly special by making your own homemade gingerbread from scratch. Follow this simple recipe to make a gingerbread house.
Gingerbread Ingredients
- One stick of butter at room temperature
- Half a cup of dark brown sugar
- Fourth a cup of dark corn syrup
- Tablespoon of cinnamon
- Tablespoon of ground ginger
- One and half teaspoons of ground cloves
- Teaspoon of baking soda
- Two cups of all-purpose flour
- Two tablespoons of water
Royal Icing Ingredients
You will also want gumdrops, peppermints, and an assortment of other candy for decorations.
Directions
You will want to begin making your gingerbread by creaming the softened butter, brown sugar, dark corn syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is smooth. You will then incorporate the flour and water. The dough’s consistency should be stiff. Chill the dough for at least thirty minutes or until firm.
While the dough is chilling, you need to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cut out the paper patterns for the house:
- Two 3 by 5 inch rectangles for the front and back of the house
- Two 3 by 5 1/2 inch rectangles for the roof
- Two pieces — 3 inches wide at the base, 3 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 5 1/2 inches from the bottom — for the ends of the house
- Four 1 1/2 by 1 inch rectangles for the roof and sides of the entryway
- One piece — 2 inches wide at the base, 1 1/2 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 2 1/2 inches from the bottom — for the front of the entryway.
Once the dough has properly chilled, you will need to take out of the refrigerator and roll out the dough on a cookie sheet. Using the paper patterns, you will cut out the pieces with a sharp knife, but leave the pieces where they are. Do not throw away the paper patterns.
Bake the gingerbread for 15 minutes. The dough should feel firm. Using the patterns again, you will retrace your previous cuts and trim up your shapes. Leave the pieces on a baking sheet to cool off.
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Have Fun Decorating
Once the gingerbread pieces are cooled off, you and your family can begin the fun of assembling and decorating your gingerbread house. You will need to make the royal icing with the ingredients listed above. Place the icing in a pastry bag and use as a glue to adhere the gingerbread pieces together to form the house. With the remaining royal icing and the assortment of candy, you will use your creativity and imagination to decorate your gingerbread house.