Gingerbread House

Notes

• This recipe makes one small house. For a large house, make 3 batches.
• For shaping: buy cookie cutters, bake-in molds, or brave cutting house shapes yourself.
• For icing: buy cream cheese or vanilla frosting instead of making it — it has plenty of structural integrity. A piping bag (or a homemade one with a zip-loc) makes things much easier.
• Be intentional with your decorations — pick things that look good and taste good. The gingerbread itself is very tasty, don’t waste it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Store-bought cream cheese or vanilla frosting (for assembly)
• Decorations of your choice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360°F — slightly hotter than 350°F helps the gingerbread come out crisper and sturdier.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg and molasses and beat to combine.
4. Add flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Mix until well incorporated — the dough will be crumbly.
5. Dump the crumbly dough into the center of a 15x11 inch piece of parchment paper. Press with your hands and roll with a rolling pin into a 13.5x10 inch rectangle. Use a flat spatula or bench scraper to straighten the edges, cutting and patching as needed. Take your time — it’s ok to cut and press pieces together, then roll smooth.
6. Lift the parchment paper by the edges and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool 3-4 minutes.
9. While still warm, place your paper pattern on top and cut out house shapes using a small paring knife.
10. Remove the scraps from around the cut pieces (save them — they’re delicious).
11. Trim any edges that need straightening so pieces will fit together cleanly.
12. Return the pieces to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
13. Remove and allow to cool fully before assembling.

If using a bake-in mold, simply bake until done without the cut-and-return step.

Assembly

Assemble on a movable base like a piece of cardboard or a wooden cutting board — you’ll want to be able to move it around while decorating and display it somewhere after.

Use frosting as both glue and decoration. Pipe frosting along the edges of pieces and hold them together until set. Decorate as you go or after the structure is assembled — whatever works for you.