How to make a Gingerbread House that stays together... at least until you start tearing it apart to eat it!

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens ''Cookies for Christmas'' 1985 cookbook

Have you ever seen a really cute Gingerbread House, then gone home to try to make one yourself?

I have and I hated how they would just slowly fall apart or that I had to sit there for ages holding the pieces together until the frosting finally seemed to be holding it, only to let go, grab the next peice and turn back to see the peice I had been holding for ages had fallen over!

Well, I am going to show you how to make a Gingerbread House that will hold the instant the gingerbread meets the frosting!
First we begin by cutting out the form we want to use from posterboard or a paper that is thick, but plyable... about the same as professional greeting cards is made from.

You can find gingerbread house patterns by surfing the internet, or your local library, or just get creative and design your own.
You will want to use a little clear tape to lightly hold your paper gingerbread house together, just to be sure all the peices match up. Once you're sure of the design you want to go with, use your thumbnail or the tip of a pair of scissors to cut the tape and seperate your gingerbread card pattern as you are going to use it to lay directly on the dough later to cut the dough to just the perfect shapes!

Now to head into the kitchen and get started on the tasty part... What you'll need:

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (can substitue with nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (or margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses (Tannen Honig)

Mix dry ingrediants in a bowl and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until softened. (Tip: let the butter sit out while you make the card-paper cut outs, so it will be room temperature when you begin) Add the sugar and beat til fluffy. Add the molasses and beat well. Gradually beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, working the last part in by hand.

Divide the dough in 3 equal parts. Place the first 3rd directly onto the ungreased cookie sheet, cover with waxed paper and roll flat, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Remove the waxed paper and place the card-paper cut outs you made on the dough arranging them as needed. You will want about a 1/2 of an inch between cut-outs, though the dough doesn't do much rising while cooking, but just to make removal of the baked product simplier. Now, remove all the extra dough, you can reroll this to cut out more parts or just use it with cookie cutters to make santa's, snowmen, trees, etc...

Bake in oven at 375? F for 9 - 11 minutes. Repeat this with the other 2/3 of dough.

Mmmmm! Now let them cool over night at room temperature. If you also made tree, snowman or santa cut-outs, start with them tomorrow by using your own favourite frosting/candies to decorate them.

I never can wait that long, myself. Just a little taste! No one is going to miss that one snowman next to the house!

Now, for the real magic and the key to a successful Gingerbread House... the FROSTING!
What you'll need:
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 cups sifted powdered sugar
6 - 8 tablespoons milk

Hey, I'm sure you've heard of Hansel and Gretel, so who better to trust when it comes to Gingerbread Houses than someone living in Germany??

In large mixing bowl, beat the shortening and vanilla for about half a minute. Gradually beating in the powdered sugar and milk alternateing to make the frosting of piping consistency.
Apply the frosting with a tableknife to the edge of a gingerbread house wall and stick it to the next peice... and Taaa Daaa! It holds it there and you can now apply frosting to the next and the next and build your gingerbread house / castle / village!

Use any candies you wish to help decorate your creation. You can apply some frosting to the bottom of the snowman shapes you made and just stand them up near the house!
You can use a plate, or if you've not got one large enough... or if the plate is not flat enough, you can use a peice of cardboard box, cover it in tin foil and you're good to go!
You need to build fast though, the frosting will not be of any use if you let it sit over night... it will be too hard to build with!

This part is not in the cookbook, but this is what I do... once I have the sides, front and back of the house together, making a nice box... I like to fill the inside of the house with candies, coins and small toys for my children, neice's and nephew's to find!
I also give these houses away as gifts to all of the children in my family and amoung my circle of friends. They simply adore them, especially since they know the houses are filled with more surprizes!

Missy Kitty and I wish you and your's the best Holiday Season ever!

Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes Neues Jahr!