Tried and true gingerbread house recipe

[Harriet Vane]

Hi--I am doing gingerbread houses with a friend this week, and I need tried-and-true recipes. We're aiming for sturdiness. While I could find a recipe online or in a cookbook easily, I'd like to hear what experienced gingerbread-house-makers recommend. Thanks!

[Harriet Vane]

Has anyone made a gingerbread house out there? 

[Carol in Cal.]

I have a recipe that a friend who does these as a kids’ project uses.  I will dig it up and post it later on.

[Carol in Cal.]

Finally found it—I had magnetted it to the fridge before DH got COVID, and I completely forgot where it was.  He’s better now.  Brain fog in a worried spouse—it’s a thing, apparently, LOL.

2C Sugar

1C and 1TBSP brown sugar

1C Crisco shortening

4 eggs

3 TBSP molasses

6 C flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP ginger

1 TBSP cinnamon

Cream together sugars and Crisco.  Add eggs, one at a time, then molasses.  

In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and then add to creamed mixture.  Doubl will be quite stiff.  If it crumbles while rolling out, add a tsp of milk, and knead again.

Roll out of 1/8” thickness.

Place cardboard pattern over dough, cut out, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for about 8-10 minutes.  While still hot, and before removing from baking sheet, return the cardboard pattern to over the pieces and trim to exact shape.

This recipe makes 6 very small houses, 4” by 6” by 5” tall.  

It’s decent tasting, unlike many, and yet it is stiff enough to stand up well.  

[sgo95]

https://www.marthastewart.com/342245/molasses-gingerbread-cookies 

I've used it for years successfully. I love the level of spice it has.

ETA: I know it says cookies, but it's designed for houses too.

Edited December 13, 2022 by sgo95

[Amy in NH]

CONSTRUCTION GINGERBREAD

 

¾ C buttermilk

6 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 C brown sugar

½ C molasses

1 large egg

5 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

 

Dough for gingerbread construction projects is perfectly edible; it just has more flour in it to make it sturdier than gingerbread cookie dough. It’s simple to put together, and should chill for an hour before being rolled out for baking.

 

1.      In a large saucepan, heat the butter and buttermilk until just melted. Remove from heat.

2.      Add the brown sugar and molasses. Beat in the egg.

3.      Mix the spices, salt and baking soda with one cup of flour. Incorporate into wet mixture.

4.      Add flour one cup at a time until dough is smooth and stiff enough to be flexible,
but not crumbly or sticky. The texture of the dough will change and become more malleable as it rests.

5.        Divide the dough in half; flatten each half in a plastic bag and roll it out before chilling for at least an hour.

 

 

 

ROYAL ICING

 

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

optional food coloring & extract

[Harriet Vane]

Thanks, all! We're doing the houses and also making some gingerbread boys/girls on Wednesday, so your timing is perfect.

[Amy in NH]

We used that recipe to make Stained Glass Gingerbread Lanterns last year.  It was something I had been wanting to do for probably 15 or 20 years. 

I had some templates that I had saved for all that time, which took a lot of time and patience to cut using exacto knives.  I also spent a fortune on colored isomalt, and got some tiny cookie cutters to make cut-outs for the "glass".  We put battery votives from the dollar store inside.

They weren't perfect, but I loved them just the same.  We filled the cooled cookies on parchment with crushed isomalt, instead of heating it and pouring, and some of it didn't melt right.  Here are a few of the finished panels:

[Dicentra]

I know you're looking for gingerbread for construction 🙂 but if anyone wants to make gingerbread cookies (and this recipe would probably work for houses, too) that are the BEST tasting gingerbread cookies I've EVER had, try this recipe:

https://www.marthastewart.com/315628/gingerbread-snowflakes

Everyone that I've ever made them for loves them.  The secret ingredient... ground black pepper.  It gives the gingerbread some "bite" without being over-spiced.  I've had other gingerbread where people have wanted to get that "bite" and they've tried doing it by using more cinnamon, cloves, and/or ginger and it doesn't work.

With the royal icing and sanding sugar on top, these cookies are lovely and sparkly.

[Kidlit]

On 12/13/2022 at 1:18 AM, Dicentra said:

I know you're looking for gingerbread for construction 🙂 but if anyone wants to make gingerbread cookies (and this recipe would probably work for houses, too) that are the BEST tasting gingerbread cookies I've EVER had, try this recipe:

https://www.marthastewart.com/315628/gingerbread-snowflakes

Everyone that I've ever made them for loves them.  The secret ingredient... ground black pepper.  It gives the gingerbread some "bite" without being over-spiced.  I've had other gingerbread where people have wanted to get that "bite" and they've tried doing it by using more cinnamon, cloves, and/or ginger and it doesn't work.

With the royal icing and sanding sugar on top, these cookies are lovely and sparkly.

We made cookies last week using this recipe, and they are SO GOOD! (I had two for breakfast this morning.). Thanks for sharing!

[Harriet Vane]

On 12/13/2022 at 2:18 AM, Dicentra said:

I know you're looking for gingerbread for construction 🙂 but if anyone wants to make gingerbread cookies (and this recipe would probably work for houses, too) that are the BEST tasting gingerbread cookies I've EVER had, try this recipe:

https://www.marthastewart.com/315628/gingerbread-snowflakes

Everyone that I've ever made them for loves them.  The secret ingredient... ground black pepper.  It gives the gingerbread some "bite" without being over-spiced.  I've had other gingerbread where people have wanted to get that "bite" and they've tried doing it by using more cinnamon, cloves, and/or ginger and it doesn't work.

With the royal icing and sanding sugar on top, these cookies are lovely and sparkly.

We made cookies from this recipe and they are scrumptious! 

 

I used a different recipe for the house.