Gingerbread Cookie Cottage Recipes

GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Cut out patterns for cottage walls and roof., In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and spices. In another bowl, whisk together egg, molasses, oil and brown sugar; gradually beat into flour mixture, mixing well. Press evenly into a well-greased 17x12x1-in. pan. Bake until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched 25-30 minutes., Immediately top gingerbread with patterns; cut with a knife. Cool completely on a wire rack (gingerbread will harden as it cools)., For icing, beat confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar on low speed until blended; beat on high until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. (Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp paper cloth; if necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.) Transfer icing to a pastry bag or food-safe plastic bag fitted with a pastry tip., Pipe icing along base and edges of front wall and one side wall. Position at right angles to each other and place on a cardboard base; prop up with small jars. Repeat with back wall and a second side wall; let dry. Remove jars., For roof, pipe icing along peaked edges of front and back walls; position roof pieces. Let dry. Decorate as desired with remaining icing and coarse sugar.

"HOME SWEET HOME" GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• To make dough: In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt; stir into brown sugar mixture (mixture will be stiff). Transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Trace patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Position patterns on dough and cut out. Using a sharp knife, score outlines to mark windows and door where indicated on pattern, being careful not to cut all the way through dough. Using a toothpick, draw lines into dough to form bricks on all pieces except door area and roof. (Keep pieces covered to prevent them from drying out.), Transfer all cutouts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until browned. Immediately replace patterns on cutouts and cut around edges to trim excess. Cut out windows completely. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely., Return front of house to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon 1 teaspoon crushed candies into each window cutout. Bake at 400° for 3-4 minutes or until candy is melted. Cool completely on baking sheet before removing., Tint water with desired amount of red food coloring. Using paintbrush, paint mixture over each piece except door area and roof; blot gently with paper towels and let dry., To make icing: In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and cream of tartar. Add water; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Keep icing covered at all times with a damp cloth., To assemble frame of house: Working with a small amount of icing at a time, wipe icing over bricks using your fingertip. Immediately wipe gently with paper towels to remove excess., Place front of house on a flat surface. Tint a small amount of icing green and a small amount red. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #4 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with white icing. Pipe lines to trim door and windows, and to form windowpanes. For door knob, attach dragee with icing., Using a #14 star tip and green icing, pipe garland along windows and a wreath on door. Using a #2 round tip and red icing, pipe berries on garland and a bow and berries on wreath. Pipe additional details as desired; sprinkle immediately with glitter. Let dry completely., Pipe icing along base and one side of front of house and the adjoining side wall. Place walls at right angles to each other on cake circle; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside and outside edges for added stability. Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry completely., For chimney: Pipe icing along one side of front of chimney 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 remaining sides. Let dry completely., To assemble roof: Generously pipe icing along top edges of house. Position roof pieces so there is equal overhang in front and back. Pipe icing along the joining edges. Prop bottoms of roof pieces with cans until roof is completely dry., On left roof piece, position chimney 1-3/4 inches from the front and 1-3/4 inches down from the top. Pipe dots of icing to mark the position of bottom chimney corners. Pipe icing onto the edges of chimney and attach to roof. Hold in place until secure, about 1 minute. Let dry completely. Center cap of chimney over chimney top, leaving a small overhang on all sides; attach with icing., To decorate roof: With tip #4, pipe icing along bottom of chimney side of roof. Press five Shredded Wheat pieces into icing in a row; repeat to cover both roof pieces. On one roof piece, pipe a line of icing along top row of Shredded Wheat; press a candy stick into icing. Repeat on other side., Attach four Shredded Wheat pieces along the peak of the roof with icing; arrange jelly beans along peak and an M&M at the front gable. Shape two miniature candy canes into a heart shape; attach to roof. Decorate as desired with heart sprinkles and additional icing., For finishing touches: Cover cake circle with icing. For shrubs, immediately place gumdrops in front of house. Spread with green icing; pipe berries with red icing., For sidewalk, attach red licorice pieces in front of door; place butterscotch candies for stepping stones. Brush licorice with a small amount of water; sprinkle with glitter. Break pretzel rods into pieces; stack at side of house for firewood. For smoke, carefully cut the jumbo peppermint stick to desired length; attach to chimney cap with icing. Hold in place until secure, about 1 minute.

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.

WINTER WONDERLAND GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• To make dough: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for 1 hour., Trace patterns onto waxed paper; cut out. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, roll out dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. With a sharp knife, cut out chimney pieces, house front and back. On house front, completely cut out door and window; reserve door piece. After baking, trim 1/4 in. from bottom of door piece. , Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until set. Immediately place patterns on cutouts and cut around edges to trim excess. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely., Cut out 2 house sides, about 5-7/16x5-6/16-in. high. Reroll scraps; cut out 2 roof pieces, about 7-7/16x7-13/16-in. high. Bake and cool as directed., To make icing: In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint 1 cup green; cover and set aside. Leave remaining icing white. , To decorate house pieces: Place front of house front-side down on a waxed paper-lined work surface. For front window panes, cut skewer into one 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 in. piece and one 2-3/4 in. piece. With icing, attach skewers; let dry completely. , Place house sides and back on a waxed paper-lined work surface. Place house front with front side up. Using #14 pastry tip, pipe shell border around edges of house pieces. Add shell border on front of house and around door opening. With tip #4; pipe snowflakes and dots on front of house. Pipe side windows and front window panes over skewers., For front shutters, cut two 2-1/2-in. pieces of licorice; attach. Cut four pieces of licorice for side shutters; attach and let dry., Thin 1/4 cup icing with water and tint red; spread over door. Let dry completely. With white icing, pipe around door; add a window if desired and let dry. With tip #352 and reserved green icing, pipe green boughs above windows and door; add red nonpareils. Set aside remaining green icing for trees. , To assemble house: Pipe icing along edges of house sides. Position at right angles to front of house. Press into place; prop with small cans. Pipe icing along inside edges for added stability. Repeat with back; let dry., To assemble chimney: Pipe icing along 1 side of front chimney piece and 1 adjoining side chimney piece. 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 remaining side and back pieces. Let dry completely. Spread icing over chimney; add M&M's., To assemble roof: Pipe white icing along top edges of house walls. Position 1 roof piece; prop with cans. Repeat. Let dry completely. Frost roof pieces; attach chimney and Crispix shingles. Using tip #4, pipe snow on roof and around chimney opening. With a paintbrush, lightly brush Crispix with water; sprinkle with edible glitter. , To decorate: Using tip #20, pipe a rope border along edge of roof; attach light bulb sprinkles. Pipe rope borders where the roof meets the house and where walls join at each corner., For finishing touches: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and butter; heat until melted. Add crisp rice cereal. Form into tree shapes. With tip #352, pipe reserved green icing on trees. Sprinkle with edible glitter; decorate with light-bulb sprinkles and confectioners' sugar if desired., For bench, cut licorice into five 2-1/2-in. pieces. Cut curved ends from 5 candy canes, forming C-shaped pieces; set aside 3 curved pieces for fence and 1 straight piece for sled. With icing, attach one C-shaped piece to bottom of 1 whole candy cane (crook facing right), forming 1 side of bench frame. Repeat; let dry. Attach licorice pieces to bench frame pieces; prop and let dry. Add icing rivets., For sled, position reserved straight piece between 2 whole candy canes to form a sled; attach with icing. Attach Fruit by the Foot; let dry. , For path, draw path pattern of your choice on waxed paper. Coat with icing; attach Chiclets and let dry., On a large covered board or tray, place the house and path. Add granulated sugar snow drifts; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Arrange the trees, bench, sled and Minty Snowmen around house. Insert reserved candy cane pieces into sugar for fence.

SNOW-SWEPT GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out gingerbread dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Lightly dust top of dough with flour. Place templates on top, and cut out shapes with a paring knife. (Use a small utility knife to cut out the windows.) Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Working with one piece at a time, frostchimney shapes with royal icing; sprinkle withrock candy while still wet (leave all but toppart of one side free for attaching to house).Set aside to dry.
• To make windows, line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Make caramel syrup. Place a gingerbread section on prepared sheet, flat side down; pour caramel syrup into window spaces. Let syrup cool and harden on baking sheet before turning over and decorating.
• Using a pastry bag with a fine plain tip (No. 1),pipe royal icing around windows and doorsand down side edges of house. While icing isstill wet, sprinkle with sanding sugar. Gentlyshake off excess sugar, and let dry.
• Pipe windowpanes, door-frame details, and Christmas-tree edging with the #1 tip. Switch to an open-star tip (No. 16) to accent the corners of the windows and doors.
• When decorations have dried, assemble house, roof, and chimney pieces, following our step-by-step how-to. When assembling chimney, attach two side pieces to front at the base, then attach sloped sides; finish with top two side pieces. Brush edges at top of assembled chimney with caramel; secure top piece in place. To attach chimney, pipe icing on side without candy; quickly press onto house, holding firmly until set. Use the No. 16 tip to create shingle pattern on roof and eaves.

BASIC GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in spices and salt. Add eggs and molasses; mix well. With the machine on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Divide the dough into thirds, and wrap each piece of dough in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into gingerbread boys and girls. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.
• To decorate cookies: Press currants into dough to create buttons. Bake cookies until crisp but not darkened, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Decorate cooled cookies with Royal Icing.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE COTTAGE

Steps:

• Place the flour, ginger, cinnamon and butter in a food processor and pulse until they resemble breadcrumbs (do this in two batches if the bowl is small). Combine the sugar, treacle and egg in a large mixing bowl. Tip in the flour mix and stir, then bring the dough together with your hands. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line three baking sheets with non-stick paper. Divide the dough into three and roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of two £1 coins. Using the templates, cut out two each for the roof, sides and two pointed end walls. Lift them onto the baking sheets. Re-roll scraps of dough, then cut out the small trees. Bake for 12 mins or until just firm. Leave to firm up for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To assemble the house, pipe a door on an end wall and a window on a side wall, using the squeezy icing. Pipe icing generously along one long edge of one side wall and stick it to the board. Repeat with an end wall, join the corners with a line of icing, then fix a flake bar to the base as a 'foundation'. Stick the remaining walls together. Use another flake bar to support the other end wall. Fix on the roof pieces, then leave overnight to set.
• Stick the marshmallows all over the roof, using the decorating icing as glue. Fix chocolate buttons around the door and to cover the corner joins. Pipe icicles along the front edge of the roof using the squeezy icing - start each one with a small pea-sized blob of icing. Pull the icing nozzle downwards and away from the blob - the icing will break off in a jagged 'icicle'. Alternatively, decorate with a line of white chocolate buttons.
• Mix the icing sugar with drops of water until you have a thick but spreadable icing. Spread this over the board and decorate with the lollipops (fastened to soft sweets), sweets, chocolate buttons and gingerbread trees. Dust lightly with icing sugar for a snowy effect.
• NOTE: To make the templates draw each shape on card or paper, using the following measurements. Side walls: 16cm x 10cm. Roof walls: 19cm x 12cm. End walls: Total height 18cm to the apex. 10cm tall to the top of the box. Angled line 11cm long.

CAPE COD GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine shortening and water. Add brown sugar and molasses. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and spices; beat into molasses mixture until blended. Divide into three portions; chill overnight., Enlarge patterns by 115%. 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-inch thickness directly onto a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut out two 8-1/2-inch x 5-1/2-inch rectangles for front/back house pieces. Set aside scraps., Roll out second portion of dough. Cut out two 8-1/2-inch x 6-inch rectangles for roof. , Roll out third portion of dough. Position house side pattern on dough; cut out two pieces. Roll out scraps; cut dormer and chimney pieces. Using cookie cutters, cut out a gingerbread boy, girl and dog., Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes; place patterns over baked dough and trim. 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 house: Place front 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 round tip #3. Fill two-thirds full with icing. Outline doorway and frames of windows. Pipe a dot of icing on door and attach a silver dragee., Using round tip #7, 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 9 inches from one long 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. , Spread one side of large chimney piece with icing. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 inch apart onto icing. Repeat with small chimney pieces; let dry. Spread icing on back of large chimney piece; center on right side of house. Prop with cans; let stand until set., For dormers: Using round tip #7, pipe icing along one side of front of dormer and the adjoining side of dormer. Position at right angles to each other and place on waxed paper; pipe icing along inside and outside edge for added stability. Hold in place until secure. Repeat with second side. Repeat for second dormer. Let dry completely with front side up. Attach dormer roofs with icing; let dry completely., To assemble roof: On one roof piece, position one dormer 1-1/2 inches from side edge and 1-1/2 inches from bottom edge. 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., Using icing, attach Andes candies to roof in rows, beginning with bottom row. Slightly overlap each row until one roof piece is covered, leaving a 1-1/2-inch square section of roof around chimney uncovered. Repeat procedure with second roof piece. Cut Andes candies to fit dormer roofs; attach with icing. Let dry., Generously pipe icing along top edges of house walls. Position roof pieces so there is a 5/8-in. overhang in front and back. Pipe icing along the joining edges. Prop bottoms of roof pieces with cans until roof is completely dry. , Pipe icing along edges of small chimney pieces; attach to roof and large chimney piece. Pipe icing inside chimney seams and around top of chimney. Attach Andes candies shingles around chimney, cutting to fit if necessary. Pipe icing along the joining edges of roof; press Andes candies onto icing., For finishing touches: Using round tip #7, pipe icing snow along roofline, on roof and around chimney and dormers; pipe icing icicles. Sprinkle with edible glitter. Tint a portion of icing with green food coloring. Using round tip #3, pipe a thin green line along front roofline of house; add light bulb sprinkles. Repeat for dormers. , To make trees, use a serrated knife to carefully score and cut ice cream cones to desired heights. Using leaf tip #67 with green icing and beginning at bottom of ice cream cones, pipe icing in rows; sprinkle with edible glitter. Place on waxed paper to harden. Pipe wreath on door. Using leaf tip #67, pipe snow onto trees; sprinkle snow with edible glitter. Set aside., Tint a small amount of icing blue, red, brown and black. Decorate wreath, gingerbread people and dog as desired with colored icing; add nonpareils for eyes. Let dry., For path, using round tip #7 and beginning at door, pipe an 8-inch x 2-1/2-inch icing rectangle. Press chocolate rock candies 1/8 inch apart onto pathway. Working in small sections, frost board with icing and sprinkle with edible glitter. Add trees and gingerbread family to landscape, leaving room around perimeter for fence., To make fence, arrange two pretzel fence posts on a waxed paper-lined flat surface. Using round tip #3, pipe a dab of icing on pretzel fence posts and attach two horizontal pretzels. Repeat, forming two fences with two sections each for front yard and one fence with seven sections for back yard. For sides of yard, make two fences with six sections each, but eliminating the end fence posts. Let dry completely. Position back fence piece on board; attach with icing. Prop with cans until completely dry. Attach one side and front fence; prop and let dry. Repeat on other side. Pipe snow on fence; sprinkle with edible glitter.

HOMEMADE GINGERBREAD COTTAGE

Steps:

• MAKE THE DOUGH: Put about half the flour in a food processor with the butter. Whizz until you can't see any lumps of butter remaining (if you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into all of the flour with your fingertips, until it resembles fine crumbs). Tip the buttery flour into your largest mixing bowl and mix in the remaining flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt. Stir in the sugar.
• Whisk the eggs with the golden syrup and stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Using your hands, knead together into a smooth dough. Use straight away, or chill or freeze until ready to bake.
• CUT OUT ALL THE SHAPES: Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out a quarter of the dough at a time on a sheet of baking parchment, to the thickness of 2 x £1 coins. Use a small, sharp knife to cut around the cottage templates (see the 'try' section below to print off the template) - remember that each time you'll need 2 x ROOF, 2 x END and 2 x SIDE for one cottage. Remove the trimmings and lift the gingerbread, on its parchment, onto baking trays. Re-roll trimmings to cut out all the shapes you need.
• BAKE YOUR GINGERBREAD: Bake the gingerbread one tray at a time (so it cooks evenly), on a high shelf in the oven for 8-12 mins, until rich brown and firm to the touch. Give each tray 3-5 mins to cool, then carefully sit the templates back onto the relevant shapes and trim any edges to neaten (step 1, above). Keep these trimmings for nibbles. Use a small knife, or heart-shaped cutters, to cut out any doors and windows you want to have. If you want to fill your cottage with lights, use the end of one of the SIDE templates to cut out a little door in the back END of the cottage.
• For a roof like ours, roll out remaining gingerbread to about half the thickness of the walls. Use a 3-4cm cutter to stamp out rounds - to fully cover the roofs, you will need about 75 round biscuit tiles. Bake as above, but for 6-9 mins - as they are thinner, they will bake quicker. Let all the biscuits cool completely.
• DECORATE YOUR GINGERBREAD: Sift 250g of the icing sugar into a bowl, dribble in water, stirring in until you have a thick-ish icing. Tip the preserving sugar or pearl sugar into a shallow bowl and get a couple of cooling racks ready. Dip the round roof tile biscuits into the icing, one by one - covering about a quarter of the biscuit in icing (step 2). It looks nice if they're all a bit higgledy-piggledy. Dip into the preserving sugar to stick, then sit on the cooling racks and leave to dry.
• Put the egg whites in a large bowl, sift in the remaining 500g of icing sugar, then stir to make a thick, smooth icing. Spoon a little into a piping bag with a very small nozzle. Spoon half of the rest into a piping bag that has a slightly larger nozzle (or spoon into large food bags and, when ready to ice, snip off the corner to turn into a piping bag). Keep the rest covered in the bowl. Use the small piping bag to pipe any icing decorations you want onto the END that is going to be the front of your cottage. Leave to dry.
• START BUILDING: Arrange the wall biscuits as you are going to assemble them. Swap to the big bag of icing with a medium nozzle to pipe generous snakes of icing along the SIDE edges (3) and stick the walls together. Pipe extra icing where the walls join each other on the inside of the cottage, and support the sides using your icing balls (4).
• To decorate the roof, scrape any excess icing and sugar from the underside of the roof tiles with a small knife, so they can lie flat. Start at the bottom of one and work along in a row, using the icing in the bowl, spread good-sized blobs of icing on the underside of the top of each tile biscuit to stick (5). Let the bottom row overhang the edge of the ROOF. Continue working up, sticking a row at a time, sitting the row above in the gaps of the row below, so the tiles sit in a diamond pattern rather than straight lines down the ROOF (6). You'll need to cut some of the tiles on the edges to fit - just use a big sharp knife and be brave (you should have a few spares available in case you have any accidents). Repeat to cover the second ROOF, then leave the completed ROOFS with the half-built cottage for a few hrs at least, or preferably overnight, until set.
• When ready, remove the supports from the cottage and stick on the ROOFS (7). This bit can be fiddly, so you may need an extra pair of hands. Shape your icing balls to support the bottoms of the ROOFS. Hold the biscuits on firmly for a few mins until the icing starts to set (8 & 9). Set again for a few hrs, or overnight.
• FINISHING TOUCHES: To finish decorating like ours, roll marble-sized balls of the ready-to-roll icing and stick them along the ROOF top - this is perfect for hiding the join. To make the icicles, start with the nozzle at a 90-degree angle to the ROOF and squeeze out a pea-sized blob of icing. Keeping the pressure on, pull the nozzle down and then off - the icing will pull away, leaving a pointy trail. Repeat all around the front of the cottage, covering the gap between the ROOF and roof tiles too, if you like.

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla;mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to5 days.