What’s better than a great friend? How about one that shares their great recipes? 🙂
My dear friend Angela makes the most beautiful gingerbread houses and she was nice enough to share her recipe with me. My previous recipe didn’t come out very well, the dough usually spread during baking too much, but this one always turns out wonderful. The picture is of one Angela gave our family last Christmas, since our houses are still in pieces until we decorate them tomorrow night, and besides, I can guarantee ours won’t be as pretty as hers. 😉
I’m sure there will be a flurry of frosting and sprinkles and candy and the dog will be covered in frosting by the end, but all the more fun. 🙂
Gingerbread:
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 T baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup molasses
1 egg
Royal Icing:
1 lb powdered sugar
3 egg whites (you can substitute 2 T meringue powder and 6 T water alternatively)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Make the gingerbread:
Mix everything together well in a mixer.
Divide dough into half and roll out to 1/4 inch thick directly on a lightly floured silicone mat or parchment paper.
Cut out desired shapes, and lift off excess.
Slide onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes.
If your silicone mat curls a little during baking, right away slide it onto a counter while warm and make sure everything dries flat.
Let cool. Makes enough for 2 small or 1 large houses, about 2 large cookie sheets.
Make royal icing:
Mix all icing ingredients together until stiff peaks form when the beater is pulled out. Decorate as desired!
PS. I bought some gingerbread house cookie cutters, LOVE them! Makes it so much easier!
Ingredients
Gingerbread:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 egg
Royal Icing:
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 3 egg whites (you can substitute 2 T meringue powder and 6 T water alternatively)
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
Make the gingerbread:
- Mix everything together well in a mixer.
- Divide dough into half and roll out to 1/4 inch thick directly on a lightly floured silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cut out desired shapes, and lift off excess.
- Slide onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes.
- If your silicone mat curls a little during baking, right away slide it onto a counter while warm and make sure everything dries flat.
- Let cool. Makes enough for 2 small or 1 large houses, about 2 large cookie sheets.
Make royal icing:
- Mix all icing ingredients together until stiff peaks form when the beater is pulled out. Decorate as desired!
