Gingerbread Cabin Recipes

GINGERBREAD CABIN

Steps:

• Gingerbread: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in spices and salt. Add eggs and molasses; mix well. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. Divide dough in half, shape into 1-inch-tall rectangles, and wrap each piece in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two flat baking sheets with parchment; set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Roll firmly with a faux-bois paint roller, or press with a rolling pin over a faux-bois impression mat. (Dough should be chilled and firm to maintain clean template shapes; if too warm, refrigerate about 10 minutes.) Cut into template shapes using a pizza cutter or a sharp paring knife: 2 roof pieces (each 8 by 7 inches); 1 floor piece (7 by 6 inches); 2 wall pieces (6 by 2 inches); and 1 pentagon wall piece for open cabin (7 by 7 by 2 inches), or 2 for a closed cabin. Transfer roof pieces and side walls to one prepared baking sheet; transfer floor and pentagon wall to second prepared baking sheet. Brush away excess flour with a pastry brush. Freeze 30 minutes.
• Bake gingerbread until crisp and slightly darkened around the edges, about 30 minutes, banging sheets on the counter halfway through baking. Let cool 15 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. If cookies become misshapen, they can be trimmed with a small serrated knife to match template while still warm.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until smooth. Brush a thin layer over faux-bois treatment. Let dry completely, about 30 minutes. Alternatively, if a white faux-bois treatment is desired, make a glaze by whisking together sugar and milk. Brush over faux-bois texture and let dry completely.
• Royal Icing: Beat confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, and scant 1/3 cup water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight, with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface; stir before using.
• For assembly, icing should resemble thick buttercream (an offset spatula stuck into the icing should stand up). If too thin, beat icing 2 to 3 minutes more, or add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer half of the thick icing to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (such as Ateco #802) for assembly. To remaining icing, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until icing falls back into itself in a ribbon. Transfer thinned icing to a piping bag fitted with a 1/16-inch tip (such as Wilton #2) for decorating.
• Fireplace: On backside of pentagon wall piece (side without faux-bois treatment), lightly score chimney shape into gingerbread with a paring knife. Working in small sections, fill in chimney area with thinned royal icing and place candy stones onto icing. Let dry completely, about 1 hour.
• Break candy canes into two 3/4-to-1-inch pieces; attach to inside of fireplace with icing. Using tweezers, attach chocolate-covered sunflower seeds as flames around candy-cane logs. Let dry completely.
• Antlers:Using thinned icing, attach pretzel pieces to raw almond. Let dry completely, then attach to fireplace with icing.
• Cabin:Place floor piece on parchment-covered board, faux-bois-side up, with 7-inch sides facing front and back, and 6-inch sides facing left and right. Use a line of the thick royal icing to adhere side walls to the outside edge of floor piece, faux-bois-side facing in. Pipe another line along back edge of floor and up side edges of walls; adhere fireplace wall to floor and side walls, faux-bois-side facing out (fireplace facing in). Remove excess icing with the tip of a butter knife or a small offset spatula, if desired. Let harden completely, using cans or T-pins to support walls (see Cook's Note), at least 1 hour.
• Once walls are completely dry and solid to the touch, attach one roof panel at a time using lines of icing, with 7-inch side facing upward and 8-inch side hanging over walls. Hold roof piece firmly against walls (or secure with pins -- see Cook's Note), then let dry 15 minutes before attaching second roof piece (make sure tops of roof align with top point of pentagon piece). Pipe a line of icing down center of roof to hold pieces together. Let dry completely, at least 1 hour.
• Using a Microplane grater, shave ends of pretzel rods to fit outsides of cabin (or cut with a small serrated knife). Attach rods to cabin using icing. Attach candy stones to roof with icing to create a chimney. Using thinned icing, decorate cabin with "snow." Let dry completely before moving.
• Rug:Pull apart strands of licorice. Wind one strand around itself to start a spiral pattern. Continue with remaining strands, sticking candies against each other using a dab of water to make a circular rug. Using thinned icing, decorate with dots; let dry completely.
• Buttercream Trees:In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on low speed until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add food coloring and beat until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (such as Ateco #27).
• Starting from bottom and working up, pipe branches onto miniature ice cream cones by holding piping tip against cone, adding and releasing pressure in a quick motion, and then pulling piping bag away from the cone. Decorate with nonpareils. Let dry completely. (Makes 3 miniature trees.)
• Skis:Use scissors to cut sticks of gum in half vertically. Snip corners of one end into a point. Decorate with thinned icing to resemble ski bindings.
• Candy-Cane Logs:Break candy canes into 1-inch pieces. Stack into a pyramid and glue together with thinned icing.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS COTTAGE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine shortening and water. Add brown sugar and molasses; mix well. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices; beat into molasses mixture until blended. Divide into three portions; chill overnight., Trace the full patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. Trace the remaining (halved) patterns onto waxed paper as directed on the patterns; cut out. , With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness directly onto a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut out two front/back house pieces. On one piece, score window and door. , Roll out second portion of dough. Cut out two 8-1/2-in. x 6-in. rectangles for roof. , Roll out third portion of dough. Position house side pattern on dough; cut out two pieces. On each piece, score two window outlines. Cut out one 2-3/8-in. x 1-3/8-in. rectangle for left side of chimney and a 1-3/8-in. x 7/8-in. rectangle for right side of chimney. Roll out scraps to cut out patterns for sides of chimney; sides and roof of porch; and front, sides and roofs of dormers. Score dormer window outlines., Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes; place patterns over baked dough and trim. Cut out door and windows completely. (Set aside door cutout; discard window cutouts.) Cool on wire racks., To make icing: Prepare only one batch of icing at a time. For each batch, in a large bowl, combine 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 6 tablespoons water. Beat on low speed for 5-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Place a damp cloth over bowl and cover tightly between uses., To assemble frame of house: Place front and sides of house and fronts of dormers on a waxed paper-lined flat surface. Cut a small hole in a corner of a pastry bag; insert star tip #16. Fill two-thirds full with icing. Pipe curtains in the house and dormer windows. Outline frames of windows and doorway with round tip #3. , For shutters, roll out 10 red gumdrops to 1/16-in. thickness; cut each into a 1-1/8-in. x 3/8-in. rectangle. Roll out four red gumdrops for dormer shutters; cut each into a 7/8-in. x 1/4-in. rectangle. Attach house and dormer shutters with a dab of icing on each side of windows. , Using tip #16, pipe decorative trim on the front and back rooflines and peaks of the house, taking care to avoid the edges. Let dry completely., Pipe icing along base and one side of front wall and the adjoining side wall. Place at right angles to each other on foam core board and position with front of house 6-1/4-in. from one narrow side of board; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside and outside edges for added stability. Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry completely. , Cut 3-1/2-in. pieces from the straight end of four large candy canes (set aside curved ends for another use). Pipe icing along each outside corner of house with star tip #20; press straight candy cane pieces into each corner. Let dry completely, about 4 hours. , For dormers: Insert tip #16 into pastry bag; fill two-thirds full with icing. Pipe icing along one side of front of dormer and one adjoining side wall. Position at right angles to each other and place on waxed paper; pipe icing along inside edge for added stability. Hold in place until secure. Repeat with second side. Repeat for second dormer. Let dry completely with front side up., To assemble roof: Generously pipe icing along top edges of house. Position roof pieces so there is a 5/8-in. overhang in front and back. Pipe icing along the joining edges. Prop bottom of roof pieces with cans until roof is completely dry. , On right roof piece, position one dormer 1-1/2 in. from left side, 1-1/2 in. up from the bottom and above the lower window, aligning so dormer front is perpendicular to board. Pipe dots of icing to mark the position of bottom dormer corners. Pipe icing onto back edges of dormer; attach to roof. Hold in place until secure, about 1 minute. Repeat with second dormer. Let dry completely. , Attach dormer roofs with icing so there is a 1/4-in. overhang in front. Cut two 2-in. straight pieces from candy canes. Pipe icing along top edge of dormer roofs; press straight candy cane pieces into each. Let dry completely. , For chimney and door: Spread chimney pieces and door with icing; dip into multicolored nonpareils. With tip #3, pipe a dot of icing on door and attach red-hot for the handle. Let dry. Pipe icing along left edge and bottom of door; position door so it is ajar. , Using tip #16 and icing, attach chimney pieces to plain side of roof, positioning the back chimney piece 1-1/2 in. from back edge of roof and working clockwise with remaining pieces. Pipe icing around top of chimney and along chimney seams. Cut one 5-in. piece and one 1-1/4-in. piece from the straight ends of two candy canes. Pipe icing along top edge between roof pieces; press straight pieces into icing., For porch: Place porch roof smooth side down on a work surface. To attach sides, pipe icing along the long side of each triangle and position against porch roof. Invert to dry. , For porch support posts, cut two 2-3/4-in. straight pieces from candy canes. Insert each into a leaf-shaped spearmint gumdrop; position 1 in. from house and 3 in. apart on each side of doorway. Secure gumdrops with icing. Let dry. Attach porch roof to posts and house with icing; prop with small cans and let dry., To decorate roof: With tip #20, pipe two rows of icing along bottom of chimney side of roof. Press five different colored halved gumdrops into icing in a row; repeat until one horizontal row is finished. Begin the second row with the second color from row one. Repeat nine times, slightly overlapping each row until one roof piece is covered with a diagonally patterned design., On dormer side of roof and starting at bottom edge, repeat procedure for gumdrop shingles. Attach gumdrops to the dormer and porch roofs in the same pattern as roof of house. Pipe icing onto sides of porch roof. Let dry., For finishing touches: Using round tip #7, pipe icing icicles. Sprinkle with edible glitter. , To make trees, use a serrated knife to carefully score and cut ice cream cones to desired heights. Tint a portion of icing with green food coloring. Using leaf tip #67 and beginning at bottom of ice cream cones, pipe icing in rows; sprinkle with edible glitter. Place on waxed paper to harden. Using tip #7, pipe snow on the trees and sprinkle with edible glitter. Set aside., For curved path, using tip #20 and beginning at the door, pipe icing in a zigzag pattern. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 in. apart onto pathway. Position candy corn, point side up, along both sides of path. Working in small sections, frost base with icing for snow and sprinkle with edible glitter. , For each corner fence, use tip #7 and white icing to attach two miniature candy canes to board. Arrange trees on base along with green gumdrops, rock candy suckers and remaining leaf-shaped gumdrops for bushes; secure with icing. For smoke, pull and stretch the cotton ball; attach with icing to inside of chimney.

GINGERBREAD BARN

Steps:

• To make dough: beat shortening and sugar until fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs, molasses, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough can be formed into a ball. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and easy to handle; add more flour if needed. Cover; chill several hours or overnight. , Trace barn patterns onto cardboard; cut out. Cut out windows. Cut out 2 barn side walls (8-1/2x5-3/4-in.). Cut out and discard five 1x1-1/2-in. windows measuring 1 in. from the bottom and 3/4 in. from each side; allow 1/2 in. between windows. , Line a baking sheet with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one-sixth of the dough directly on the foiled baking sheet into a rectangle about 1/4 in. thick. Position a barn pattern on the dough. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut quantities noted on each pattern piece; remove pattern. Remove the dough scraps; cover, refrigerate and reroll if needed. , Using a sharp knife, score outlines to mark the windows indicated on the pattern; do not to cut all the way through. Cut out windows where indicated. , Bake at 350° until edges just begin to brown, 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately replace barn patterns on cookies. Cut around edges to trim off excess cookie if necessary. Cool until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough and patterns. , For roof of silo: Cut a 5-in. gingerbread circle. Turn a standard-size muffin tin upside down; spray bottom of 1 cup with cooking spray. Mold dough over and down cup sides and press together any cracks; trim excess. Bake at 350° until golden brown, 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on tin. Cool completely on wire rack. If needed, trim to fit cardboard roll. , If desired, use remaining dough for farm animal cutouts, using patterns or your favorite cookie cutters. Bake large cookies at 350° for 12-14 minutes, smaller ones for 6-7 minutes. , For icing: Cream butter and shortening. Add water and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar; mix well. Keep covered with a damp cloth., For barn: Test cookie pieces to make sure they fit snugly. If necessary, trim with a serrated knife. , Combine 4 teaspoons water and 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring. Carefully brush onto front, back and sides of barn. Dry completely overnight. , Insert #10 tip into pastry bag; fill two-thirds full with icing. Squeeze a wide strip of icing onto the bottom edge of back barn piece. Position on display base about 7 in. from a short edge. Prop with small cans until icing is firm, 3-4 hours. , Squeeze icing onto the bottom edge of 1 side piece and onto side edge of back piece. Align at a right angle as tightly as possible; prop up. Repeat with the other side. For added stability, squeeze icing along the inside edges of all pieces and corners. , Squeeze icing onto the bottom and side edges of the front piece; position with other assembled pieces. Prop up; let dry completely. , To assemble roof: From heavy-duty cardboard, cut two 10-1/2x3-1/2-in. pieces (A). Also cut two 10-1/2x2-1/2-in. pieces (B). Tape a long edge of pieces A and B together with masking tape; repeat. Tape A pieces together to form center roof peak. , Squeeze icing onto the upper edges of the slant of the front and back edges of the barn. Carefully place roof so peak is centered between the front and back. (There will be a 3/4-in. overhang on both.), For shingles, cut graham crackers to fit. Using icing, attach in rows, beginning from bottom., For silo: Coat cardboard roll with icing; press in Golden Grahams, alternating seams. Squeeze icing onto top edge of the silo; carefully press on silo roof. Squeeze icing onto lower edge of silo; stand it at the corner of the barn. , To decorate barn: Using a #5 tip, outline windows and doors with white icing. Tint a portion of icing green; use the #67 leaf tip to decorate a butter ring cookie to make a wreath. Add sprinkles and decorating candies. If desired, cut sour candy belt into thin strip to make a bow. Attach bow to wreath with icing; adhere wreath to barn with icing. , For shutters, cut graham crackers to fit window on front of barn. Pipe edges and diagonal line with white icing; dry completely. Adhere shutters with icing. For door, cut 1 graham cracker into fourths. Secure 3 pieces together horizontally with icing; pipe icing around edges of door and make an "X" in center. Let dry completely. Adhere door to barn with icing. Pipe icing onto roof; decorate with coarse sugar and edible glitter. Frost base around barn and silo. Use shredded coconut to create snow. , For fence: Cut pretzel rods to desired size; using rods as posts, secure 3 pretzel sticks to side with icing. Repeat until fence is desired length; for corners secure pretzel sticks at right angles. Dry until icing is firm, about 1 hour. Arrange fence around barn; adhere with icing. , Finishing touches: To make trees, use a serrated knife to score and cut sugar cones to desired heights. For taller trees, stack 2 cones. , Tint a portion of icing with green food coloring; decorate trees using #67 leaf tip. While icing is still wet, place sprinkles or candies as ornaments or lights. When dry, pipe white frosting at intervals for snow; sprinkle with white decorating sugar. When dry, attach to base with icing. , For markings on animals, thin a small portion of the icing with water. Tint icing as desired for each animal. Pipe on as desired. , To make each sheep: Break 2 pretzel sticks in half; insert into a large marshmallow for legs. Using icing, adhere mini marshmallows around large marshmallows for bodies; trim as needed. When set, secure jelly bean to body with icing. Cut black candy disk in half; trim to make ears. Attach to either side of jelly bean with icing. Pipe on icing for eyes, nose and mouth; let dry. Tint icing light pink or peach; pipe onto ears. , Position animals around barn; secure with icing. To make path, pipe or spread a thin layer of icing onto board; immediately press in chocolate river stones.