My First Gingerbread House "2006

Dough using the template here:.Warm molasses in a saucepan or microwave, but do not boil just to soften.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Let cool.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Add butter mixture and egg and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour until dough becomes stiff enough to roll.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out dough right onto the bottom side of cookie pan or on a edge free cookie pan that is lined with parchment. Maximum thickness for dough should be 3/8-inch. For houses larger than 6 inches square, use 1/4-inch thickness and for smaller houses, use 1/8-inch. Weight-bearing walls should be just slightly thicker.

Place the template and cut house pieces using a ruler to guide for smooth straight edges.

Bake for 15 minutes.If window are to be cut out do before baking. May place broken hard candies in windows for a glass effect be sure to really fill it.Royal Icing:.

Mix 1/2 the powder and 1/2 the water beating till peaks form, add 1/2 the sugar beating till a good consistency. This half is to assembly.In a thick Styrofoam base cut grooves the size of the baked walls. Using the 4 wall as a guide.Pipe the icing into the grooves.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 the foam with cans if needed. 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 30 minutes until the icing is firmly set. At this time careful plan and decorate the inside as you chose. Or leave it empty.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. Hold the roof gently in place until it dries.

Let dry for half an hour.To attach the chimney, on one side of the roof near the peak, glue one angled piece to the roof. Glue the largest rectangle to the angled piece and then glue the second angled piece in place. Last, glue the smallest rectangle to the other sections. Hide any mistakes under a "snow" of icing.Side a this layer of icing on sides of house One side at a time.

Place fruit roll up starting from the bottom going up overlapping slightly. Be sure to cut it where the window are. Leave the top half of the front and back to overlap with the spearmint leave adhering with icing.

Spread the icing covering the base for snow.

Place Chocolate Mint sticks along the front and side of the house for porch add railing using mint sticks and glue with icing the marshmallow on place the bird (shaped from the fondant) on the railing. using the twisted marshmallow place along the bottom edge of the house.Make the other half of icing when needed.Sled is made from a chocolate bar and peppermint sticks, thin red licorice, red fondant as Santa `s bag.

Spread icing on roof and starting at the bottom edge work your way up in uneven rows overlapping slightly.Decorate the chimney by icing then pressing toffee bits into it. Then shape Santa and decorate him with a bread made from icing and a red fondant hat, skin fondant face place in chimney.With the icing go over the house and fill in where needed to make it look like snow and at the eves making icicles.

Place a small battery lit candle inside so you can appreciate the stained glass windows.

Add your touches. Have fun.