1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar (Dark brown sugar has more molasses and will make a darker gingerbread)
1/2 cup molasses
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/3 cup water
Cream butter and sugar thoroughly with electric mixer. Beat in molasses. Blend all dry ingredients. Alternately add blended dry ingredients and water to the butter-sugar mixture. Dough will become quite stiff. Work dough (may need to add the last flour by hand depending on the strength of your mixer)until it is smooth in consistency. You will probably need 3-4 batches of dough depending on the size of your house.
NOTE: I've altered this recipe to have less baking soda since I don't want the gingerbread to rise too much. If you are using the recipe just for cookies, you may want to go back to the 1 tsp.
Refrigerate your dough for awhile to chill. You can wrap it and keep it in the fridge for up to three weeks. If it has been in for awhile, take it out and let it warm up a bit before using it.
Bake your gingerbread pieces at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
TIPS if you are making a HOUSE:
*Roll out quite thin, between 1/8 and 3/16. I roll out the dough right on a floured cookie sheet and then use a sharp knife as I trace the pattern pieces.
*Look in the Wilton supplies...they have small 'cutters' designed for fondant which are in squares which I use for small windows.
*Experiment with chilling your dough again after you cut out the pieces. (in the fridge, or outside if you live in the cold) This seems to help the dough keep its shape a bit while baking.
*When you take the baked gingerbread out of the oven, straighten the edges with something like a long knife or something, or push against the edges of your windows with the end of a spatula or something similar.
*After baking, let the pieces dry out on the cooling racks at least overnight. Some suggest putting them back into a oven at your lowest temp. for a while to dry out.
ASSEMBLY TIPS:
*Designing your house and cutting out your pattern can be pretty time consuming, so make allowances. I like to cut the pattern out of brown paper grocery bags or foam board if its a more complicated design and I want to make sure the odd angles are fitting together.
*If you are doing 'glass' windows (see recipe)....put your baked gingerbread on foil with right side up. Carefully use a spoon or something to put liquid glass into windows. Let cool completely and then peel off the foil. You can add food coloring to make a pond, or colored windows. You can also make 'stained glass' by crushing colored candy, putting into the windows and melting it in a hot oven (keep a very close eye on it!)
*You can put the house together with royal icing, but I have gotten to the point of using hot glue. Then you have more control of the icing you put over the seams and how you decorate the seams.
*I also cheat and usually use cardboard or whiteboard for the roof. We usually cover it all anyway with icing and candy and it doesn't add as much weight. It's also easier to get a good roof fit, since you can do the measurements after you have assembled the house.
*If you are going to light your house in the inside, think through how to make sure you get light where you want it. You will need to cut out an opening in the back for the cord, and if you have several sections to your house you need to remember to cut openings between your sections so the light gets through.
*For decorating the house, I use the Wilton powdered Royal Icing Mix....you just add water and mix (comes in small bags). I used to make Royal Icing from scratch, which uses a lot of egg whites, but it is more finicky based on your humidity etc (in the early days with gingerbread roofs and too soft icing, there were numerous unhappy cave-ins). Lately I've been using the Chefmaster Meringue powder. You have to have plenty of powdered sugar on hand but it seems really quite reliable.
*Decorating is such fun..Nowadays you can hunt through google images and see lots of pictures and get fun ideas.
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