Build a Home and Eat It
image source: http://flic.kr/p/jZ3on
How would you like to build a house that you can eat later on? I’m talking about building a gingerbread house. A gingerbread date is not something that you can do at the spur of the moment. It needs some planning and preparation like what you’re going to build and how much dough and icing you are going to need. I would recommend a simple four-wall cottage for starters.
If you are planning on an all-day date with your sweetheart, you can go together in purchasing all of your ingredients. A simple cottage structure will probably take 2-3 hours for baking and 1-2 hours for decorating.
Here is a recipe that has always worked well for me simply because you do not need to chill it.
Ingredients for the dough: 1 cup vegetable shortening, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup dark molasses or corn syrup (dark molasses give dark-colored dough while corn syrup gives light-colored dough), 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 4 cups flour
Instructions: Melt the first three ingredients mentioned over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time. Once completely blended, split the dough into manageable balls and enclose in plastic wrappers. Roll out, cut into the desired shapes and bake at 375 degrees for 6-12 minutes. If the dough isn’t working well, heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm it. Knead again and then roll it.
Ingredients for the meringue powder icing: 3 tbsp Meringue Powder, 3 ¾ cups confectioner’s sugar, 4-6 tbsp cold water
Instructions: Whisk dry ingredients together and add half of the water. The icing’s consistency must be thick enough that a knife drawn through will leave a clean path. Add more water as needed.
Building instructions: Assemble the pieces using the icing to hold the pieces together. Let the house stand for at least an hour before decorating. Now you have a cute gingerbread house that’s edible as well.
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