|
Line Several cookie sheets with aluminium foil. Butter and flour the
foil.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in the
molasses and eggs.
In another large bowl, sift dry ingredients. Combine mixtures and knead
into a smooth ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
On a well-floured surface, roll out a small amount of the dough until
it's 1/4 inch thick. Place one of the paper pattern pieces on the dough
and cut around the edges. Gently, using the spatula, lift the dough and
place it on the prepared cookie sheet.
Put all scraps into a bowl and cover. Save these for the kids to play
with, or to make gingerbread men.
To make windows and the door: Cut out a
rectangle from the appropriate side. Cut the window in half to make
shutters. Fill empty window holes with crushed life-savers to form stained
glass windows.
To make the chimney: Cut out a
rectangle big enough to hold all pieces of the chimney. When the baked
dough is still warm and soft, lay the pattern on top and cut out the
pieces.
Preheat the oven to 325oF. Bake 15-20 minutes or until slightly firm.
Let cool on racks until firm enough to handle. Peel the foil off the
sections and set the pieces aside to dry thoroughly overnight.
Icing Glue
This recipe is for a single
batch. You will probably need several, but if you make them all at once,
keep them in separate bowls: it dries very quickly and is like cement.
Keep it well covered: one piece of saran wrap touching the icing itself
and another on the bowl.
- 3 egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3 - 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. Add the
cream of tartar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gradually
beat in the icing sugar, beating for about 5 minutes until it reaches
spreading consistency. Keep it covered and refrigerated until needed.
|
|
To Assemble
Cover the plywood base with
aluminium foil. Pipe (or spread with a knife) two straight lines of glue
at a 90o angle from each other: one for a side wall and another for an end
wall. Pipe glue on the side wall where it will meet the end wall. Place
walls on base, touching each other. Hold them in place until they are dry
enough to stand on their own (about 15 minutes, and you can use those pop
cans as support).
Repeat with the remaining two walls, running a line of icing glue along
the corners so that all the walls are glued together. Again hold walls in
place until the glue is dry. Let the roof-less house dry at least 30
minutes until the icing is firmly set.
Banish small children from kitchen; find an extra pair of hands. Pipe a
lot of icing along the tops of all the walls. Run a thick line along one
long side of a roof. Stick the two roof sections together at an angle and
sit the two pieces on top of the house. Make sure that the roof overhang
is the same at both ends of the house.
Hold the roof gently in place until it dries (the pop cans should be
the right height to support them). Let dry half an hour.
While the roof is drying, attach the door to the doorway by running a
line of icing glue down one side and along the base. Make sure the door is
open wide enough to slide a small flashlight inside later (so you can
appreciate the stained glass windows). To attach the chimney: on one side
of the roof near the peak, glue one angled piece to the roof. Glue the
largest rectangle to the angled piece, then glue the second angled piece
in place. Lastly, if there's room, glue the smallest rectangle to the
other sections. Hide any mistakes under a "snow" of icing. Let the house
dry until completely solid, preferably overnight.
To Decorate
Remove the soda cans. Attach shutters to windows. Decorate by gluing
candy to house.
Featured:: Fun
and Easy Crafts Company
Recomended:
|
