| GINGERBREAD HOUSE 2/3 cup dark molasses 1 egg 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed ½ cup vegetable oil 2 ¾ cup white flour 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves In a large bowl, mix molasses, egg, sugar and oil together. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dough should be pliable but not sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a closed container. Chill for several hours or overnight. Set oven to 300 F. You will need two 12x18 inch lightly greased cookie sheets and a paper pattern of the ginger bread house you wish to construct. Place a portion of the chilled dough on a cookie sheet and roll to the thickness of about 1\8 inch. Score pattern shapes into the dough with a butter knife. Bake 300 F for 20 minutes. While cookie dough is fresh out of the oven and still hot, compare pattern shapes with the cookie shapes. If the baked portions have swelled or become distorted, trim where needed. Allow shapes to cool while still on the cookie sheet. The gingerbread should be very hard when completely cooled. If necessary return dough to oven for 5 to 10 minutes. The roof sections will break off if the dough is not baked thoroughly. Before assembling your house, let pieces set for one or two days to dry. SUGAR SYRUP GLUE 2 cups granulated sugar In an electric fry pan or heavy skillet at least 10 to 12 inches across, melt sugar over low heat stirring constantly while sugar melts so it won't burn. Set pan on lowest heat setting to keep syrup warm while using it. Dip edges of cookie into the hot syrup to glue them together. Work slowly, making sure each piece is locked firmly in place before adding another section. FROSTING FOR FASTENING CANDY PIECES 1 pound powdered sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar 2-3 egg whites, room temperature In large mixing bowl beat egg with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and cream of tartar and beat on high with an electric mixer for 5-10 minutes or until mixture stands in stiff peaks. If frosting fails to set up, add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar and a tablespoon more of powdered sugar. Keep the bowl covered at all times as frosting dries quickly and becomes very hard. This is great for holding candies in place. Recipe makes one large or two miniature houses. |
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