Gingerbread Ranch House

Name: Gingerbread Ranch House
Prep time: 2 h 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 20 green apple hard candies, crushed; 4 teaspoons baking powder; 1 serving Holly berry and leaf-shaped sprinkles; 3 red and 4 brown miniature M&Ms, divided; 440 grams packed brown sugar; 227 grams butter, softened; 21 squares cheese-flavored snack crackers; 2 peppermint sticks; 4 curved chocolate slices (Swoops), divided; 2 caramel-filled chocolate candies; 320 grams confectioners sugar; 114 milliliters light corn syrup; 0 teaspoons cream of tartar; 2 egg whites; 2 eggs; 750 grams all-purpose flour; 8 drops green gel food coloring; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 4 teaspoons ground ginger; 60 sticks cinnamon gum, divided; 1 serving Malted milk balls; 2 pretzel rods; 2 thin pretzel sticks; 2 larges sourdough pretzel twists; 16 Pastry tips-round #5 and star; 1 serving Light bulb-shaped sprinkles; 1 serving White sprinkles

You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Gingerbread Ranch House a try. This recipe makes 1 servings with 10795 calories, 119g of protein, and 258g of fat each. This recipe covers 83% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. It will be a hit at your Christmas event. A mixture of peppermint sticks, ground ginger, holly berry and sprinkles, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so scrumptious. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes. Luxe Gingerbread House Decorating Party & Gingerbread Truffle Martini, Gingerbread House (Mini Gingerbread Houses), and Gingerbread House are very similar to this recipe.

Instructions

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in corn syrup and eggs.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Corn Syrup

Butter

Cream

Egg

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Combine the next five ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide into three portions. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out one portion of dough directly onto a greased baking sheet to 1/4-in. thickness.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Rolling Pin

With a sharp knife, cut out four 6-1/4-in. x 4-in. rectangles for ranch house sides and roof pieces. On two pieces, score two 2-1/2-in. high x 1-1/2-in. wide window outlines.

Ingredients you will need

Ranch Dressing

Equipment you will use

Knife

Roll out second portion of dough. Position front and back wall patterns on dough; cut out. Score windows and door window on front.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Cut out one 6-1/2-in. x 2-1/2-in. rectangle for porch awning.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. While still warm, place patterns over baked dough; trim.

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Dough

Equipment you will use

Oven

Cut out windows completely; cool. (Save cutouts for another use.)

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Cut Out Cookies

Place front and side walls on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon 2 teaspoons crushed hard candies into each window cutout.

Ingredients you will need

Hard Candy

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Aluminum Foil

Bake at 400 for 3-4 minutes or until candy is melted. Cool completely on baking sheet before removing.

Ingredients you will need

Candy

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

For icing and assemble: In a bowl, beat egg whites, confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar on low for 1 minute. Beat on medium for 6-8 minutes or until stiff. Tint 3/4 cup icing green. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients you will need

Powdered Sugar

Cream Of Tartar

Egg Whites

Icing

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #5 tip.

Equipment you will use

Ziploc Bags

Add some of the white icing. (Press plastic wrap over surface of unused icing and refrigerate between uses.) 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 cans. Repeat with second side section and back.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

Base

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Plastic Wrap

Let dry; remove cans. Trim edges of windows, door window and door frame with icing. For doorknob, attach a red M&M with icing.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

For roof: Pipe icing along top edge of house. Position roof pieces; let dry. For roof tiles, cut 50 sticks of gum into thirds widthwise. Pipe and icing line 1/2 in. from bottom of one side of roof. Curve gum pieces and press along icing; repeat until one horizontal row is finished. Repeat six times, slightly overlapping each row until one roof piece is covered.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

Repeat on other side. Pipe a thick line of icing along top roof seam. Using the same technique, place final row of gum pieces at right angle to direction of roof tiles; let dry.

Ingredients you will need

Icing

For porch and awning: On covered board in front of ranch house, spread white icing into a 7-1/4-in. x 3-1/4-in. rectangle. Press cheese crackers 1/8 in. apart into icing; let dry. Pipe two mounds of icing 1 in. from the front of porch corners. Position peppermint sticks upright in mounds; let dry, propping if necessary. Pipe additional icing on peppermint stick tops and along one long edge of awning piece.

Ingredients you will need

Cheese Crackers

Peppermint

Mounds Bar

Spread

Icing

Ranch Dressing

Press long frosted edge against facade and over peppermint sticks; let dry. Pipe icing over top of awning. Press nine whole sticks of gum side by side lengthwise into icing; curve ends down.

Ingredients you will need

Peppermint

Icing

For antlers: Secure malted milk ball to a small piece of waxed paper with a dab of icing; pipe two antlers.

Ingredients you will need

Malted Milk Powder

Icing

Let dry; carefully peel away waxed paper. Center antlers above awning; attach holly berry and leaf sprinkles with icing.

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Sprinkles

Berries

Icing

For cacti: Break a third off each pretzel rod; discard. For the arms (branches), break curved sides off pretzel twists and attach to sides of rods with icing; let dry. Using green icing and #16 tip, pipe small stars to completely cover one side of each cactus.

Ingredients you will need

Pretzels

Icing

Add white sprinkles; let dry. Turn over and repeat. Pipe white icing mouths; add remaining red M&M's for tongues. Attach brown M&M's for eyes; let dry.

Ingredients you will need

Sprinkles

Icing

M&ms

For hats, place caramel-filled chocolate candies inside curved center of two chocolate slices; pipe a hatband of icing to secure. Attach holly berry and leaf sprinkles; let dry.

Ingredients you will need

Chocolate Candies

Chocolate

Sprinkles

Caramel

Berries

Icing

For rocking chair: Break pretzel sticks in half for chair legs. Attach with icing to the bottom of one chocolate slice; let dry. For rockers, cut remaining stick of gum in half lengthwise. Pipe a small amount of icing on tips of chair legs; attach gum strips and curve slightly.

Ingredients you will need

Pretzel Sticks

Chocolate

Icing

Let dry; invert. Pipe icing along back short side of chair seat; press remaining chocolate slice into icing for chair back.

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Chocolate

Icing

Let dry.

For finishing touches: Carefully pipe swags of icing along tops of side windows, along edge of awning and around awning posts.

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Icing

Add light bulb sprinkles. Position cacti on board next to house and secure with icing; prop with small cans.

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Sprinkles

Icing

Place hats on cacti.

Place rocking chair in front of porch.

Editors Note: Icing is for decorative purposes only because of the uncooked egg whites. If ranch house will be eaten, substitute a royal icing recipe using meringue powder.Download Patterns (PDF) >

Ingredients you will need

Egg Whites

Icing

Ranch Dressing

Originally published as Gingerbread Ranch House in Country Woman

Ingredients you will need

Ranch Dressing

November/December 2004, p40