Building a Gingerbread House

One of our families holiday traditions is to build gingerbread houses together before Christmas. We usually allow our kids to invite a friend over and we have fun decorating. I found a great Ginger Bread house pattern and dough recipe...click HERE. We make one large house out of gingerbread to decorate as a family...and we use graham crackers to make houses for the kids and their friends.

What you will need:

• 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
• 6 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Melt butter and buttermilk in a large saucepan...then remove from heat.
2. Add the brown sugar and molasses, then beat in the egg.
3. Whisk in the spices, salt and baking soda together with one cup of flour. Add this to the wet mixture and mix well.
   
4. Add the rest of the flour one cup at a time until you have a smooth, stiff dough.
5. Divide dough in half, flatten out the dough, wrap in saran wrap and then chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350. divide the dough into 2 pieces. Out one of the pieces back in the fridge while you work on the other half.
7. Roll dough onto a piece of parchment paper..makes it easier to transfer the dough to a baking sheet.
8. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Use the pattern and cut out your house pieces. Click HERE for the pattern.
9. Bake the pieces at 350 for 15-18 minutes.
   
10. After cooling 10 minutes free pieces from the baking sheet. Then allow the pieces to cool completely before assembling.

Royal Icing Frosting--used for the house glue.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs powdered sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until foamy. Then add the powdered sugar gradually. (If you would like to paint with the frosting now would be the time to separate and add your food coloring).
   
2. If you need the icing thicker just add a little more powdered sugar.
   
3. You can divide your frosting into zip-lock bags then cut the tip of one corner to use as a pastry bag.
   
4. Use the frosting as glue and glue the Gingerbread house pieces together. Start with the sides and the front and back of the house. You may want some props to help hold the pieces up and together while the frosting is drying (I used Mason jars). Once these pieces have dried then add the roof.
5. Decorate once dried. Decorating ideas: M&M's, gumdrops, candy canes, red hots, Cotton candy, marshmallows, gummy rings/bears, fruit roll-ups, licorice, lifesavers, Vanilla wafers, etc...