Mini Gingerbread House Recipes

Steps:

• Put about half the flour in a food processor with the butter and whizz until you can't see any lumps of butter remaining. Mix the remaining flour, spices and bicarb together with a pinch of salt. Tip both the floury mixtures into your largest mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. (If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into all of the flour until it resembles fine crumbs. Then stir in the spices, bicarb and sugar.) Whisk the eggs with the golden syrup and stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Using your hands, knead together into a smooth dough.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll a quarter of the dough out at a time on a sheet of baking parchment, to the thickness of 2 x £1 coins. Use a small, sharp knife to cut around the house templates (see tips, below)- remember that each time you'll need 2 x A, 2 x B and 2 x C for one house. Remove trimmings and lift the gingerbread, on its parchment, onto baking trays. Re-roll trimmings to cut out all the shapes you need.
• Bake the gingerbread one tray at a time on a high shelf in the oven for 8-10 mins, until a lovely, rich brown and firm to the touch. As soon as each tray is baked, carefully sit the templates back onto the relevant shapes and trim any edges to neaten. Use a cutter to stamp out any windows or cut away any doors with a small, sharp knife. Let all the biscuits cool completely.
• Sieve the royal icing sugar into a bowl and stir in dribbles of water until you have a stiff icing. Spoon some into a food bag (cover the rest), snip the tiniest bit off the corner and pipe any icing decorations you want onto the gingerbread. Leave to dry.
• Arrange the wall biscuits as you are going to assemble them, then pipe icing along the side edges and stick the walls together. Pipe extra icing where the walls join each other on the inside of the house, and support the sides using your icing balls. Leave for a few hrs until set.
• Once dry, stick on the roofs, as above - you may need to hold the biscuits on firmly for a few mins until the icing starts to set - or shape your icing balls to support the edges of the roof. Set overnight, then use any remaining royal icing to help you decorate your houses with sweets and sprinkles.

Steps:

• Using parchment or waxed paper, make gingerbread house pattern pieces according to this diagram; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, cook and stir the shortening, brown sugar, corn syrup and molasses over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in ginger and cinnamon. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough can be formed into a ball. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough directly onto a greased baking sheet to 1/4-in. thickness., Position patterns on dough; cut out. Remove dough scraps; cover and save to reroll if necessary. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until gingerbread springs back when lightly touched. Immediately place patterns over gingerbread; cut around edges to trim. Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes or until gingerbread begins to harden. Carefully remove to a wire rack; cool. , For icing and assembly: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on high for 6-8 minutes or until stiff., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert pastry tip. Place some icing in bag. Pipe icing along base and sides of front wall and one side wall. Position at right angles to each other and place on covered board; prop with small bottles or jars. Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry; remove bottles. For side supports, carefully cut Pirouette cookies widthwise in half. Pipe icing along one side of each; position at the corners of the house., For roof: Pipe icing along peak of roof. Position roof pieces; let dry. For roof tiles, cut Tootsie Rolls widthwise in half. Flatten with a rolling pin; cut each flattened piece in half. Pipe an icing line 1/2 in. from bottom of one side of roof. Curve Tootsie Roll pieces around your finger or a wooden spoon handle and press along icing; repeat until one horizontal row is finished. Repeat six times, slightly overlapping each row until one roof piece is covered. , Repeat on other side. Pipe a thick line of icing along top, front and back roof seams. Using the same technique, place a row of Tootsie Roll pieces at a right angle to direction of roof tiles along the top, front and back seams; let dry. Pipe a few thick clusters of icing onto roof tiles to resemble snow. Sprinkle with edible glitter., For finishing touches: In a bead pattern, pipe icing around front door. Pipe 1-in. squares on both sides of door and on each side of house for windows. Pipe windowpanes. Decorate the corners with snowflake-shaped sprinkles., For wreath over door, attach pudding bites and nonpareils to front of house using icing. On covered board, spread icing into a 1-in. curved strip from the front door to the edge of the board for path. Cut candy bar into small rectangles; press side by side into icing. Let dry. , Using scissors, cut sugar cones to varying heights. If desired, pipe a thick circle of icing around open end of each cone to help hold in place. Position cones around house.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180°C (170°C fan bake), with the rack just below the middle. Line a baking tray with baking paper or a Teflon liner.
• Cut three shapes from cardboard. (Each piece of card will be used twice to cut the 6 gingerbread shapes for one house. Cut an 8 x 10 cm rectangle (for the roof) and a 6 x 8 cm rectangle (for the side walls). To make the peaked end-wall shape, draw a 10 x 6 cm rectangle, then make a mark 4 cm from one end on the two long sides, and another mark in the middle of the short side nearest the other two marks. Join this mark to the other two, then cut out.
• Warm the first four ingredients together (butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, treacle and extra treacle), mixing until smooth. Take off the heat and stir in the egg yolks.
• Then the sieved dry ingredients (plain flour, ground ginger, & baking soda). Knead to form a smooth dough, adding a little water or extra flour if necessary. Cut the dough into four even pieces and wrap until using.
• To make one house, roll one piece out about 3 mm thick on the floured board. It should be just large enough to cut two each of the three cardboard shapes from it. Re-roll dough scraps if necessary.) Place the shapes on a prepared baking tray.
• Bake for about seven minutes or until evenly browned. (Do not under cook.) While pieces are warm, carefully lift them onto a cooling rack. Repeat for other houses.
• To construct and decorate houses, make 'White Icing' for Piping. Whisk two egg whites until foamy. Beat in about one cup of sifted icing sugar at a time, until the icing holds its shape when piped from an icing bag (or a tough plastic bag with a small hole in one corner). This icing sets hard and can be quite brittle if not stuck firmly to (or supported by) the biscuit base.
• Pipe the icing on the walls and roof making shingles, doors, windows, etc. Leave plain or decorate with sweets if desired. Using more of the icing, "glue" the walls together on a cardboard base. When the walls are firm position the roof on top using more icing, and leave to set.
• Enjoy.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the molasses to the bowl and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl well, and mix for 30 seconds more to ensure it's uniformly combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the yolk and mix well to combine.
• Add about half of the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until it begins to incorporate. Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as needed, until the dough comes together uniformly.
• For a large house, divide the dough into two pieces and shape into 1-inch-thick rectangles. If making three small houses, divide the dough into three pieces and shape into 1-inch-thick rectangles. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Let the dough soften at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling out.
• Roll out a rectangle of chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-to 1/3-inch thick. (Don't roll it too thin; thicker dough will be sturdier and easier to work with.) You can use a little flour when rolling the dough if needed, but only if necessary. (Chilling the dough for 5 to 10 minutes can also help if it becomes too sticky.) Use the parchment to slide the dough onto a baking sheet. If any of the dough rips or tears, use your hands to gently press it back together.
• Remove the top parchment paper and set aside to use for lining the sheet pans for baking. Using a template as a guide, cut out the gingerbread house pieces with a paring knife, being careful to get as many pieces out of one piece of dough as you can. Refrigerate the cut shapes as you repeat with the remaining piece(s) of dough. Set aside the dough scraps to re-roll and use for decorative elements.
• Place the oven rack in the center of the oven, and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment, and using an offset spatula, transfer the pieces to the sheet pans, about 2 inches apart. Return one pan to the refrigerator while you bake the other.
• Bake the gingerbread pieces until they appear evenly brown with slightly darker edges, rotating the pans halfway through baking, about 15 to 25 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pieces. (Exact baking time will depend on the size of your pieces, but it's best to err on the side of overbaking. They should appear set, but will firm up as they cool. Cool completely before assembling.)
• To assemble, you'll need a base like a cutting board or a cake board. Start with the front or back piece of the house. Fill a pastry bag or a resealable plastic bag with royal icing. Snip off the corner and pipe icing along the bottom of the piece (where the wall would meet the floor). Place it upright, frosting-side down, onto the base and hold it for about 1 minute. (The icing will not fully set, but it will begin to dry. You can use a can or jar to support the wall as it dries and you add the other pieces.)
• Next, take a long side wall piece. Pipe icing along the bottom and along the short side that will connect to the first wall you just erected. Press the two pieces firmly together perpendicularly and hold for about 1 minute. Use another can or jar to support the walls if you like.
• Repeat this process with the remaining walls. Let the walls set until the icing is firm, at least 15 to 20 minutes, before adding the roof.
• Apply icing to the edges of both roof pieces. Apply the roof pieces one at a time, and hold in place for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the icing to set a bit before adding the other, then add more icing where they meet. Hold them firmly for 1 to 2 minutes. Let the icing dry completely before you add any other decor, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Gingerbread House: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut out the following paper patterns for the gingerbread house template: Two rectangles, 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles, 3 by 5 1/2 inches for the roof. Two pieces for the ends of the house, 3 inches wide at the base, 3 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 5 1/2 inches from the bottom. Four smaller rectangles, 1 1/2 by 1 inch for the roof and sides of the entryway. And 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.
• Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough. With a sharp, straight edged knife, cut around each of the pieces, but leave pieces in place.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm.
• Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes, cutting edges with a straight-edged sharp knife. Leave to cool on baking sheet.
• Place royal icing into pastry bag with a writing tip and press out to decorate individual parts of house, piping on decorations, windows, door, etc., as desired. Let dry until hardened.
• Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using royal icing. Place an object against the pieces to prop up until icing is dry (it only takes a few minutes).
• Glue the two roof pieces to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.
• Continue decorating the house, gluing on gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired.
• Mix all of the ingredients together using an electric hand mixer, until the icing is smooth and thin enough to be pressed through a pastry bag with a writing tip. Add more lemon juice, if necessary.