Thursday, December 17, 2009

Ginger Bread House Recipe and Pattern

Here is the recipe - if you want to make your own. There are two pieces- an isosceles triangle and a rectangle (cut 2 of each shape for one house). The triangle measures 5 1/4" on the two long sides and 4" on the short side, the rectangle measures 5 1/4" x 3 1/2. I cut out a little door on one triangle per house...then I glue it so it is half way open and attached to the house. You can also glue the bottom of the house to a square of foiled covered cardboard - so it doesn't move when you decorate it.

2/3 c. molasses
1 egg
1/3 c. brown sugar
½ c. oil
3 c. white flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Mix together all ingredients. Roll out onto sprayed upside down cookie sheet and then cut out pieces using a pizza cutter and template (give a little space between each piece because they do expand a bit in the oven)... this way you don’t have to move the pieces – just remove the extra dough around the pieces. I use a template traced onto cardstock as I cut out the pieces. Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes.

Glue houses together with caramelized white sugar. Just put a couple cups of white sugar in sauce pan on the stove and slowly heat it until it melts. It gets really hot...be careful this can seriously burn you. Carefully dip piece by piece as you glue it together...it glues nice and hard like a glue gun. Make sure you do this with no children around....it is dangerous and needs your complete attention.

Makes 3 houses.

Click here for tips & pictures on how to cut out your house!

Click here for pictures on how to assemble the pieces!

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