Gingerbread House

From Esther C., Madrid, Spain

Use this cooking conversion tool to help you convert to the unit of your choice.

Ingredients for the Cookie Dough:

• 200 g salted butter, at room temperature
• 150 g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 400 g wheat flour

Ingredients for the Icing:

• Powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• Water
• Few drops of lemon juice

Template Measurement for Cutting the Cookies:

• Side wall: 17 × 9 cm (x2)
• Roof: 12 × 18 cm (x2)
• Front wall: 16 × 16 cm (x2)
• Height up to roof from base of front wall: 9 cm
• Roof slope: approx. 10.6 cm

Instructions:

1. Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add sugar and beat again.
3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
4. Add half of the flour and mix. Then, add the remaining half. Continue mixing.
5. Knead dough by hand and form into a ball.
6. Divide dough into two halves.
7. Place one half between two sheets of baking paper. Roll out with a rolling pin.
8. Place as many template pieces as fit on top of the dough. Trace the outline and cut. Gather leftover dough and add to other half. Chill in the fridge for at least 10–15 minutes.
9. Repeat this process until you have all the walls and roof pieces. (I made an extra batch because one wasn’t enough for all sides. Then we had leftover dough from the second batch, which we froze.)
10. Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes. Repeat until all pieces are baked.
11. Prepare icing by mixing powdered sugar, a few drops of lemon juice, and adding water little by little (teaspoon at a time) until mixture has a toothpaste consistency. Transfer to a piping bag.
12. Decorate the cookies once they are cool. Use the icing and candies (like chocolate drops, etc.) to make doors, windows, etc.
13. Assemble walls using icing. Hold them in place with glasses or cups on sides to keep them from falling while they set.
14. Once dry and stuck together (I left ours overnight), attach and glue on the roof. Let it dry.
15. Finally, decorate the roof with gummies, fondant to look like snow on the front, and dust with powdered sugar.
16. The Result: a stunning, delicious gingerbread house. Perfect for the holidays!

< BACK