GINGERBREAD HOUSE

tips: this is a wonderful traditional way to spend christmas time with children decorating the house, but be sure you have the equipment to do it, in particular a medium capacity kneader or a lot of patience, strength and time, cause mixing the dough is veeeery hard

For cookies: 
6 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 sugar
3 eggs
3/4 dark molasses
4 1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

For icing:
2 eggs whites
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

How to do it:
beat butter until creamy, then add sugar, eggs (one each time), molasses; add then all dry ingredients (sifted). Mix well, divided it into six pieces (one each house part), wrapped in plastic wrap and leave them in the fridge for 6 hour (until very firm).
Roll one piece each time until a thickness of 1/2 cm, cut it with mould and cook in oven at 180° C for 10 min or until borders light brown. Use one piece for  each of the six parts of the house, then the rest for the base and for trees and other figures you want.

If you don't have the moulds, you can make them with cartons and the models you can find HERE.

Prepare the icing, beating eggs white until foam, then add confectioner's sugar one spoon each time until a thick icing form. Use it immediately cause it dries very fast.

Be sure that cookies are completely cold and dry before start building the house using a big quantity of icing to seal walls and roof. Then use the same icing to fix candies and decorations.

Free you fantasy!!