Cookie house. Yum!

Voilà! What do you think? Our first gingerbread house. Though let me tell you it was no easy feat. We have spent the past two days (this is our second attempt after house number one collapsed and cracked) in the kitchen up to our elbows in flour.

The kidlets have had a marvelous time and Callum has declared gingerbread house day his "best day ever!". Looks like Halloween has been over ruled!


I ordered the cookie cutter kit from Mini Gourmets but we used the Coles online recipe instead. I actually substituted plain flour and bicarbonate soda for self raising flour (simply because we didn't have any) and would suggest making a bigger batch as I was running out of dough by the time it came to cut the roof, chimney etc. Though maybe that was because I had three little people eating it as we worked merrily away.

Gingerbread dough

125g butter, at room temperature
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup golden syrup
2 egg yolks
2 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing

1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted
1 egg white, lightly beaten

To decorate

375g white chocolate melts
375g milk chocolate melts
Mini chocolate sweets/jellies
Queen writing icing in various colours

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan forced. Line two trays with baking paper.

Using electric beaters, beat butter with sugar and golden syrup till pale and creamy. Stir in egg yolks. Fold in flour, soda and spices. Stir to combine, using your hands bring the dough together. Turn out to a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 6 equal portions. To make the side walls, roll out 1 portion on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Cut into 15cm x 12cm rectangle. Place onto prepared tray. Repeat another portion of dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the back and front walls. Roll out one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Cut into a 12cm (base) x 12cm (sides) x 9cm (pitched roof). Place on prepared tray. Repeat with another portion of dough. Cut out a window from one panel and a small arched door from the other. Place door on tray to and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the roof, roll out 1 portion of dough on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Cut into 15cm x 10cm rectangle. Place on prepared tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the icing. Place the icing sugar into a medium bowl, stir in egg white to form a stiff paste. Spoon icing in a plastic food storage bag, then snip off a small corner. Pipe along the base and sides of 1 wall panel. Place onto a cake board, repeat with remaining panels to form the walls of the house. Use a small glass inside the house to hold the walls upright while setting. Leave to set. Attach roof panels the same way and leave to set.

Pipe a small amount of icing on the back of white and milk chocolate melts and attach to roof as tiles. Use writing icing to attach jellies to house and door, and decorate as desired. Pipe icing on front edge of roof to look like snow awning. Leave to set.

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