Mayfield Electric & Water Systems

Gingerbread House Recipe

Frosting, either store-bought or homemade

Brightly colored candies such as gumdrops, licorice, peppermint sticks, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix 5 cups of flour, the ginger and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl with mixer.
4. Add molasses and lightly beaten eggs. Blend well.
5. Gradually add dry ingredients.
6. Knead in remaining flour, if necessary.
7. Chill dough 1 hour for best rolling results.
8. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick directly onto cookie sheets.
9. Cut patterns, removing excess dough.
10. Chill 10 minutes before baking.
11. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes.
12. Let cookies cool.
13. Assemble house.

If you would like to make your own icing, a recipe follows below.

Royal Icing

This recipe is for a single batch. You will probably need several, but if you make them all at once, keep them in separate bowls. Royal Icing dries very quickly and is like cement. Keep it well covered: one piece of plastic wrap touching the icing itself and another over the top of the bowl.

   3 egg whites
   1-½ teaspoons cream of tartar
   3-½ cups confectioners sugar

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam.
2. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.
3. Gradually beat in the confectioners sugar, beating for about 5 minutes until it reaches spreading consistency.
4. Keep it covered and refrigerated until needed.

Gingerbread House Assembly Instructions

1. When assembling gingerbread pieces with icing, work with a pastry bag with a medium tip.  For extra stability, pipe icing along the inside seams as well. Allow to stand for 30 minutes to an hour until the icing has completely dried before decorating.
2. Pipe out the icing on the bottom and one end of one long wall and one short, put them together at a 90-degree angle, and hold them in place on cardboard with cans. Repeat with the remaining two walls, running a line of icing glue along the corners so that all the walls are glued together. Again hold walls in place until icing is dry. Let the roofless house dry at least half an hour until the icing is firmly set.
3. Run a thick line of icing along one long side of a roof piece. Stick the two roof sections together at an angle and set the two pieces on top of the house. Make sure that the roof overhang is the same at both ends of the house, although it is okay if it isn't perfect. Stick the other two triangular roof sections in place and run a thick line of icing along them.  Hold the roof gently in place until it dries (the pop cans should be the right height to support them). Let dry for half an hour.
4. While the roof is drying, attach the door to the doorway by running a line of icing glue down one side and along the base. Make sure the door is open wide enough to slide a small glow stick inside later (so you can appreciate the stained glass windows).
5. If you the pieces aren't exactly even and don't come together with exact precision, don't worry. Major differences can be filed down and smoothed out with sandpaper, and the Royal Icing can act as a filler.
6. Let the house dry until completely solid, preferably overnight. Then you can decorate with a variety of candies in any way you like! And you're guaranteed to have fun!

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