Gingerbread Season. The House.
GINGER, CINNAMON & MAGIC DUST. THAT’S WHAT GINGERBREAD SEASON IS ALL ABOUT.
THE GINGERBREAD COOKIES RECIPE & THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE DOUGH.
Gingerbread cookie inspiration comes from traditional tales like the one of the "Gingerbread Man" who famously escapes his pursuers, and from classic holiday themes, like decorating cookies as festive figures. People are also inspired by the creative process itself, enjoying the freedom to decorate with unique designs and by the warm, spiced flavor of the cookies. The source of inspiration can range from nostalgic holiday memories to the joy of creating something beautiful with icing and sprinkles. Make some gingerbread stars to hang from your Christmas tree. This biscuit dough is extremely forgiving if overworked, so it's perfect for baking with children.
Ingredients:
250g salted butter
7 tbsp golden syrup ( For Germany: 4 tbsp honey + 3 tbsp maple syrup )
200g dark Muscovado sugar (Or brown Sugar)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Or Baking Poweder)
4 tbsp ground ginger
600g plain flour
FOR THE ICNG:
500g icing sugar plus extra to dust
Silver and white edible balls
4 tbsp iced-cold water & Small Size Pastry
2 Egg Whites
HOUSE TEMPLATES:
Method:
Step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a large bowl, then stir in the butter mixture to make a stiff dough. If it won’t quite come together, add a tiny splash of water.
Step 2
Cut out the template (download from the tips below). Put a sheet of baking paper on a work surface and roll about one quarter of the dough to the thickness of two €2 coins. Cut out one of the sections, then slide the gingerbread, still on its baking paper, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling the trimmings, until you have two side walls, a front and back wall and two roof panels. Any leftover dough can be cut into Christmas trees, if you like.
Step 3
Put the egg whites in a large bowl, sift in the icing sugar, then stir to make a thick, smooth icing. Spoon into a piping bag with a medium nozzle. Pipe generous snakes of icing along the wall edges, one by one, to join the walls together. Use a small bowl to support the walls from the inside, then allow to dry, ideally for a few hours.
Step 4
Once dry, remove the supports and fix the roof panels on. The angle is steep so you may need to hold these on firmly for a few mins until the icing starts to dry. Dry completely, ideally overnight. To decorate, pipe a little icing along the length of 20 mini chocolate fingers and stick these lengthways onto the side walls of the house. Use three, upright, for the door.
Step 5
Using the icing, stick sweets around the door and on the front of the house. To make the icicles, start with the nozzle at a 90-degree angle to the roof and squeeze out a pea-sized blob of icing. Keeping the pressure on, pull the nozzle down and then off – the icing will pull away, leaving a pointy trail. Repeat all around the front of the house. Cut the chocolate mini roll or dipped Flake on an angle, then fix with icing to make a chimney. Pipe a little icing around the top. If you’ve made gingerbread trees, decorate these now, too, topping each with a silver ball, if using. Dust the roof with icing sugar for a snowy effect. Lay a winding path of sweets, and fix gingerbread trees around and about using blobs of icing. Your gingerbread house will be edible for about a week.
Example template. Print band use or create your own template.