Mini Gingerbread House

This is another cute gingerbread project that I made to give away as gifts. I saw this idea on not martha and thought it was really cute. It's a mini gingerbread house that perches on your mug. I remember seeing these before but have never attempted to make one until now. This project took about a week to make as it involves several steps. It's a bit fiddly and time consuming but the finished product looks good! I think I'll stick to making my Christmas Tree Gingerbread Cookies with a hidden surprise as they were less fiddly than these and much quicker too. I used the template provided on not martha and thought my houses turned out bigger than hers. Either that or she has larger mugs as mine seemed to take up half a mug! I also personalised them by writing names on the walls.

My tips/learning from this project - as with the Christmas Tree gingerbread cookies, chill the dough before baking to prevent spreading. Re cut the baked cookies so they are the exact size that you want. Allow the house to set overnight before decorating the roof to ensure that the house does not collapse. Fill your mug half full if you are perching these on your mug as you don't want to get a soggy bottom.

I am again sharing this with several blog challenges

AlphaBakes which I am hosting this month and co host with Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is X for this Xmas inspired bake - mini gingerbread house.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts and I think these would make a great festive gift especially with personalised names on the walls.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food. These would brighten up any party and can be used as place holders if you write names on the walls.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Family Foodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers & Mash. The theme this month is Kids Christmas and this is a perfect project to make with the kids plus they will also enjoy eating them!

Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats Party 

 print out the template 

 I used a small sharp knife to cut out the shapes 

 I baked the houses 1 at a time so that I could recut the shapes after baking - you have to be quick as the cookies harden as they cool. 

 

 ready to assemble 

 I used my spice jars for support 

 added crushed candy cane to the roof 

 perched on a mug 

I wrote names on the walls for an extra personal touch :) 

For the gingerbread
125g butter
110g dark brown sugar
1 egg yolk
310g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
6 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons mixed spice
100-130 mls golden syrup

For the royal icing
2 egg whites
400g icing sugar

• Preheat the oven to 160C.
• Beat butter, sugar and egg yolk in a bowl until smooth.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients until its mixed properly.
• You may need to add a little more golden syrup if the mixture is crumbly.
• Place dough in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface and roll it out to approximately 5mm in thickness.
• Cut shapes using a printed template.
• Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. 
• Bake for approximately 7-9 minutes until they are brown.
• Re cut the shapes using the same template as soon as they are out of the oven so that all the pieces are equal sizes and have sharp edges. 
• To make the royal icing, beat ingredients together until smooth and glossy - you may need a bit more sugar or a few drops of water depending on the consistency required. 
• Pipe royal icing on the walls and add on the doors. Add the roof and allow to dry preferably overnight. You will need to support the house whilst it's drying.
• Crush candy canes in a food processor and sprinkle over the roof. 
• Use glitter writing icing to write names on the walls (optional) 

Valentine Gingerbread House

Just a quick Valentine's post today. This was made in a hurry at about 12 midnight so apologies for the poor construction and pictures! I had a box of Dr Oetker Christmas Gingerbread House Kit which I never got round to using for Christmas so I've decided to make a Valentine version instead. The gingerbread is provided so there's no baking involved.  All I had to to was assemble it together... sounds simple? Clearly not! I managed to break the doorway and make a huge mess everywhere! Anyway I hope the intended recipient will like it :)

I kept it very simple but you can be as creative as you like. I've seen some amazing ones on the internet. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! 

 my broken doorway :( 

 

PS to my twitter friends who will know what I'm talking about, I desperately need to join #GA!!

A world of Gingerbread

My first time ever making gingerbread. For my initial attempt, I was told that it needed more ginger so I modified the recipe slightly and came up with these. I made over a hundred of these to give as Christmas gifts. I had a helping hand when it came to the decorations in the form of my brother. Spot the dog. Some designs were definitely quite artistic but they all tasted great :)




We also decided to make a gingerbread house which didnt turn out too badly considering it was the first time either of us had made one. I tried to make stained glass windows but they were less successful than my stained glass cookies coming up in another post.

For the gingerbread:

125g unsalted butter, softened
110g dark brown sugar
2.5 cups plain flour, sifted
1 egg yolk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4-6 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp mixed spice
270mls golden syrup

• Preheat the oven to 160C
• Beat butter, sugar and egg yolk in a bowl until smooth
• Stir in the remaining ingredients until its mixed properly
• You may need to add a little more golden syrup if the mixture is crumbly
• Knead the dough on a floured surface and roll it out to approximately 5mm in thickness.
• Cut shapes using cookie cutters (or templates for the gingerbread house)
• Place on a baking tray and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until they are brown
• Cookies will harden once cool
• Let your imagination run wild- decorate and enjoy!