Mini Gingerbread Houses*
Ingredients:
- For Gingerbread:
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- For icing glue:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg white
1/3 cup boiling water
- Extras & recommended decorations:
stiff cardboard
pastry bag with small & medium round tips
prepared vanilla frosting
bite-size frosted wheat cereal
striped Hershey's Kisses
various shapes of pretzels
ice-cream cones
Directions:
- Making the Gingerbread
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small pan, cook corn syrup, brown sugar and vegetable shortening over medium heat, stirring until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine flour, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well. Add corn syrup mixture, stirring until dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut shapes (see template below); place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes. Place sheets on racks; cool slightly. Trim cookies; cool completely.
- Making the House
For icing glue, in a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, cream of tartar and egg white; add boiling water. Beat until icing holds stiff peaks.
Working with the front and sides of house first, generously apply the icing glue along adjoining sides. (It's best to apply icing with a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip, but you can also use a spatula.) Hold the walls upright while the icing hardens. Repeat with remaining sides.
Once sides are firmly together, liberally apply icing glue to bottom edges. Attach house framework to the cardboard base. Let icing harden.
Next apply roof. For best results, apply the icing glue to top edges of side, front and back walls. Apply icing glue along peak of roof. Gently press roof pieces in place. Allow icing to harden well before decorating.
- Decorating the House:
Using a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, pipe decorations onto house.
Spread cardboard base with frosting and attach frosted cereal or pretzels as a fence while frosting is still moist.
Spread the roof liberally with frosting and attach striped chocolate candies or other sweets as desired. Let icing harden before moving to display area.
Variations; Use colored icing, candy-coated wafers, jelly beans and other candies for a colorful house. For an elaborate house, make graham cracker door and windows, a mini pretzel fence, a nonpareil roof and an ice-cream cone tree.