Directions: |
Directions:For gingerbread dough, mix flour and ginger in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and molasses. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Stir in flour and ginger, then beat until well blended. Cool dough 5 to 10 minutes.
While dough is still warm, divide it in half and roll out 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Use the enclosed patterns (attached to the back cover of the cookbook) to cut out the pieces for the house from thin cardboard, then place the cardboard on the dough and cut out the following:
2 roof pieces, 2 sides, 1 front, 1 back, 1 door, 4 pieces for the chimney.
Once the pieces of dough are cut, place them on a cookie sheet that is coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate the pieces for 1/2 hour; this allows the pieces to hold their shape much better while baking.
If there is any leftover dough, you can roll out and bake a piece of "ground" for the house to sit on. I rolled out irregular shapes for the "ground", and later, the kids covered it with white frosting and coconut to look like snow. A "fence" can be made from candy canes, licorice, or pretzel sticks (fence rails) stuck into miniature marshmallows (fence posts).
Bake the pieces at 375 degrees for until the edges are lightly browned and the center is dry to touch. For the smaller pieces, baking time will be 5 to 8 minutes; for the larger pieces, baking time will be 18 to 20 minutes.
If you notice the dough bubbling during baking, use a spatula to gently smooth out the bubbles.
Cool the gingerbread on a cookie sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen carefully with spatula, then remove pieces to wire rack to cool completely.
Glue all the pieces together with gingerbread icing and let your kids or grandkids have a ball decorating with icing and candies, etc... |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Al's mother, Susan Bancroft (Noni), made these with our kids back in the 50s and 60s. We have since made them with our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We always had the houses assembled (one for each child) and ready to decorate before they arrived. Making the houses is a labor of love, while decorating them is just plain fun. It is a wonderful tradition that creates memories the kids will never forget.
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This recipe for Gingerbread Houses is from