Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage

Complete your winter wonderland scene with a beautiful gingerbread house. You don't have to be an expert baker—or architect—to create this cozy cottage. Just follow the plans to make holiday magic for all to enjoy. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

1 ServingsPrep: 30 hours + standing Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup dark molasses
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
ICING AND ASSEMBLY:
16 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
12 tablespoons meringue powder, divided
2 teaspoons cream of tartar, divided
1-1/2 cups warm water, divided
1 silver dragee
2 cups chocolate rock candies
105 mint Andes candies
Edible glitter
Green, blue, red, brown and black paste food coloring
Light bulb-shaped sprinkles
7 ice cream sugar cones
5 colored nonpareils
70 pretzel sticks

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Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Ingredients (continued)

Cookie cutters--boy, girl and dog
Pastry tips--round tips #3 and 7; leaf tip #67
Pastry bags
Foam core board (21 inches x 19 inches x 1/2 inch)
Small cans for propping

Directions

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.

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Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Directions (continued)

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.

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Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Directions (continued)

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. Yield: 1 gingerbread house.

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Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage

Ingredients

Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Ingredients (continued)

Directions

Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Directions (continued)

Cape Cod Gingerbread Cottage (continued)

Directions (continued)