Holiday Gift Guide 2024

Gingerbread House This spicy-sweet dough is the perfect choice to build the holiday home of your dreams! Have leftover dough? Use it to bake gingerbread ornaments—use a straw to create a hole for a hook before baking.

INGREDIENTS Gingerbread 4 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill® Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour or Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour 2 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp ground Ginger

¾ tsp Baking Soda ½ tsp Baking Powder ½ tsp Salt 1 cup Vegetable Shortening 1 ¼ cups Brown Sugar 2 large Eggs 1 cup Molasses

Royal Icing 3 oz pasteurized liquid Egg Whites, or three large Egg Whites 4–6 cups Powdered Sugar

½ tsp Cloves ¼ tsp Nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS • Combine flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until well mixed. Add eggs and molasses and mix well, then add dry ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms. Remove from bowl, wrap in plastic and chill 2–3 hours overnight. • Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface ¼-inch thick (if using Gluten Free 1-to-1, roll between two sheets of parchment paper). Cut out with gingerbread house cookie cutters of choice and place on prepared baking pan at least 1 inch apart. • Bake until edges are very lightly browned, 15–20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. For extra stability, especially if building a larger gingerbread house, let sit out at least 24 hours to dry and become rigid. To Assemble • For thin décor icing, combine egg whites and 4 cups powdered sugar. Whip until well combined. Divide in half.

• For thick construction icing, add additional powdered sugar to half of icing until it holds its shape when whipped—stiff, yet still soft enough to move smoothly through piping tip. • Place thick icing in a piping bag fitted with a ¼–½- inch round tip. Take your gingerbread house base (cardboard works well and blends with the color of the gingerbread) and pipe a thick line for the first wall of the house. Insert the first wall (icing should be thick enough to hold it temporarily without your hand), then pipe a perpendicular line for the second wall. • Take your second wall and pipe up the side, where it will meet the first wall, and press into the icing on the board. Continue with the other two walls, working counterclockwise. • Let sit for 1 hour, then use icing to attach the roof and other décor. Use thin icing to decorate the house and attach candy as desired!

Ready to build? Click for our complete gingerbread house tricks and tips!

#HolidayHack: Use gingerbread cookie cutters to construct the easiest holiday dwellings!