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Mini Gingerbread House

Mini Gingerbread House
We show 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. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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 this diagram; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, cook and
© Taste of Home 2013

2 of 3

Mini Gingerbread House (continued)

Directions (continued)

  • 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.
© Taste of Home 2013

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.
© Taste of Home 2013