Holiday Cooking: Thanksgiving & Christmas

Gingerbread for Houses and Mansions

(from Martha Stewart)

Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Add molasses and eggs. Beat until smooth.

Sift 3 cups of flour with the baking soda, salt and spices. Gradually beat into the sugar mixture. Add 5 to 6 cups more flour, beating until just mixed. Dough will be heavy and stiff.

Form into two flat rectangles, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease edgeless baking sheet with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Roll out dough directly on the baking sheet to 1/8-inch thick. Place the largest pattern piece on rolled dough and cut neatly around edges with a sharp, small knife.

Carefully remove scraps and press together into a ball. Reserve scraps for small pieces of house. Continue rolling and cutting until all pieces are done.

Bake pieces 10 to 15 minutes, until done but NOT BROWNED. Carefully remove baked pieces from sheet and place on rack to cool.

Make 3 batches for a medium-size house.


NordicWare German Gingerbread House Mold

More Supplies for Making Gingerbread Houses & Gingerbread House Bake Kits

Royal Icing
for Gingerbread Houses

Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 


Christmas Cards
Original Art by A Couple of Artists

see all Christmas Cards @ Caryn.com

Ingredients

Ginger Bread

1/2 pound margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups unsulfured molasses
3 eggs
8 to 9 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Icing

2 large egg whites, or more to thin icing
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more to thicken icing
Juice of 1 lemon

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Martha's Tips for perfect gingerbread:

Make the dough smooth and pliable -- not too soft or hard. Always chill dough before rolling.

When making cookies, roll the dough on a lightly floured board. Brush off excess flour with a soft brush. Lift with flexible metal spatula to parchment-lined cookie sheets for baking.

Bake carefully. Do not allow gingerbread to darken. Cook until hard and dry.

Cool well in a dry place before icing. If humidity softens the gingerbread, place baked pieces in a 115-degree oven until dry.

Ice all elements of houses separately, while pieces are lying flat. Assemble houses after decoration is complete. Experiment with Royal Icing . Icing for coating must be smooth and lump-free. Piping icing should be a bit thicker.

To assemble houses, start with four sides and apply icing to all corners. Next, stick fronts and sides together. Apply more icing "glue" to inside corners to reinforce. Dressmaker straight pins can be inserted carefully at corners to secure fronts and roofs to sides. (Remove with pliers after all "glue" dries completely.)

Keep your gingerbread in a dry, cool place, out of direct sunlight. A house should last for weeks, cookies until they are discovered and eaten.