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Mini Gingerbread House

Our Test Kitchen shows just one way to decorate this cute little gingerbread house. Prepare several batches of dough (one batch at a time) and decorate a number of houses in different ways to create a gingerbread village.

1 ServingsPrep: 4 hours Bake: 15 min. + standing

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup molasses
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 cups all-purpose flour
ICING AND ASSEMBLY:
2 egg whites
2-2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pastry tip-round #5
Covered board (12 inches x 7 inches)
2 Pirouette cookies
42 Tootsie Roll Midgees
Edible glitter
16 snowflake-shaped sprinkles
3 each vanilla and chocolate chewy pudding snack bites
9 miniature semisweet chocolate nonpareils
1 milk chocolate candy bar (1.55 ounces)
6 ice cream sugar cones

Directions

Using parchment or waxed paper, make gingerbread house pattern pieces
according to the diagram below; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, cook

2 of 3

Mini Gingerbread House (continued)

Directions (continued)

and stir the shortening, brown sugar, corn syrup and molasses over
medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in
ginger and cinnamon. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough can
be formed into a ball. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out
dough directly onto a greased baking sheet to 1/4-in. thickness.
Position patterns on dough; cut out. Remove dough scraps; cover and
save to reroll if necessary. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or
until gingerbread springs back when lightly touched. Immediately
place patterns over gingerbread; cut around edges to trim. Cool on
baking sheet for 3-4 minutes or until gingerbread begins to harden.
Carefully remove to a wire rack; cool.
For icing and assembly: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites,
confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar on low speed for 1 minute.
Beat on high for 6-8 minutes or until stiff.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert
pastry tip. Place some icing in bag. Pipe icing along base and sides
of front wall and one side wall. Position at right angles to each
other and place on covered board; prop with small bottles or jars.
Repeat with second side section and back. Let dry; remove bottles.
For side supports, carefully cut Pirouette cookies widthwise in
half. Pipe icing along one side of each; position at the corners of
the house.
For roof: Pipe icing along peak of roof. Position roof pieces; let
dry. For roof tiles, cut Tootsie Rolls widthwise in half. Flatten
with a rolling pin; cut each flattened piece in half. Pipe an icing
line 1/2 in. from bottom of one side of roof. Curve Tootsie Roll
pieces around your finger or a wooden spoon handle and press along
icing; repeat until one horizontal row is finished. Repeat six
times, slightly overlapping each row until one roof piece is
covered.
Repeat on other side. Pipe a thick line of icing along top, front and
back roof seams. Using the same technique, place a row of Tootsie
Roll pieces at a right angle to direction of roof tiles along the
top, front and back seams; let dry. Pipe a few thick clusters of
icing onto roof tiles to resemble snow. Sprinkle with edible
glitter.
For finishing touches: In a bead pattern, pipe icing around front
door. Pipe 1-in. squares on both sides of door and on each side of
house for windows. Pipe windowpanes. Decorate the corners with
snowflake-shaped sprinkles.
For wreath over door, attach pudding bites and nonpareils to front of
house using icing. On covered board, spread icing into a 1-in.

3 of 3

Mini Gingerbread House (continued)

Directions (continued)

curved strip from the front door to the edge of the board for path.
Cut candy bar into small rectangles; press side by side into icing.
Let dry.
Using scissors, cut sugar cones to varying heights. If desired, pipe
a thick circle of icing around open end of each cone to help hold in
place. Position cones around house. Yield: 1 house.

Editor's Note: Icing is for decorative purposes only because it is made with uncooked egg whites. Edible glitter can be ordered by mail from Wilton Industries, Inc. Call 1-800/794-5866 or visit their Web site, www.wilton.com.