Haunted House Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ICING AND ASSEMBLY:
• 4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Blue, green, black and orange paste food coloring
• Pastry tips—round #6 and #3
• Additional confectioners' sugar
• 10 to 14 orange Spree candies

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough into thirds. Chill for 1-2 hours.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Position house side pattern on dough. With a sharp knife, cut one side piece. Reroll scraps; cut another side piece. Score and cut out window outlines; set window pieces aside. Transfer side pieces to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Roll out second portion of dough. Position house front pattern on dough. Cut out house front; remove scraps. Cut out door and windows pieces; set aside. Reroll scraps; cut out house back. Cut out window piece; set aside.
• Roll out remaining dough into two 5-1/2-in. x 4-in. rectangles for roof pieces. Transfer front, back and roof pieces to ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• Cut reserved window pieces in half for shutters. Place shutters and door on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
• To make icing: In a bowl, combine the first three ingredients. Add water and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on hight for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Set aside 1 cup white icing. Tint remaining icing gray, using blue, green and black food coloring; set aside 1/2 cup. Thin remaining gray icing with 2 tablespoons water. Cover icing between uses.
• To decorate: Place front, back, side and roof pieces on a work surface. Insert #6 tip into a pastry bag; fill with 1/2 cup gray icing. Outline windows, doors and edges of house and roof with icing; let dry. Fill in outlines with thinned gray icing.
• To assemble: Transfer remaining thinned gray icing to a bowl. Beat in 1-2 tablespoons confections' sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe icing along sides of front and one side section. Position at right angles to each other on board. Press into place; prop with cans.
• Pipe icing along inside edge of added stability. Repeat with second side piece and back; let dry. Pipe icing along top edge of house. Position one roof piece; repeat. Pipe icing along top edge of roof pieces. Let dry completely.
• To make decorations: Divide reserved white icing into thirds. Tint one portion black and one orange; leave remaining icing white. Using #3 tip and white icing, outline two large and three small ghosts on waxed paper; let dry. Thin remaining white icing with 1-2 teaspoons water. Fill in ghost outlines. Let dry completely.
• Use orange icing to make three pumpkins; use black icing for three bats. Let dry. Thicken remaining black icing with 1-2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar; pipe faces onto pumpkins and ghosts. Let dry completely. Use a toothpick and thinned white icing to make bat eyes; let dry.
• Finishing touches: To remaining gray icing, add black coloring to make a darker gray. Using #6 tip and dark gray icing, pipe U-shaped designs on roof for shingles; let dry. Thin remaining icing if necessary with water, then spread over shutters and doors; let dry.
• With remaining thickened black icing, pipe a tombstone and "RIP" on the door; let dry. Attach the door, shutters, ghosts, bats and pumpkins with icing. Attach Spree candies to roof. Yield: 1 haunted house.

Download the pattern for Haunted House

Haunted House published in Taste of Home October/November 2003, p8