Gingerbread House Glass Topper

Gingerbread Dough House Recipe

Note: This is a larger recipe than you will need, depending on how many houses you want to make!

Supplies:

Mini Gingerbread Cookie Cutters found on Amazon

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

*3/4 cup Butter, room temperature or Shortening

*1 and 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar

*1/4 cup Molasses

*1 cup Whipping Cream or Canned Milk or (1/2 cup Sour Cream and 1/2 Cup Milk)

*1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

*1 teaspoon Salt

*4 and 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

*1 teaspoon Cinnamon

*3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger

*1/2 teaspoon Allspice

*1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

*4 teaspoons Baking Powder

Instructions:
*

Pre-heat oven 350*F.
*

Cream together in stand mixer: Butter, sugar, molasses, cream, vanilla and salt.
*

Sift together in bowl: Flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and baking powder.
*

Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in stand mixer on low speed and mix well and (scrapping down the sides of the bowl occasionally) forms a soft dough ball.

*

Hint: Refrigeration of the dough will always make the cookies roll, cut and cook a little better; also using a cooled 1/2 baking sheet with each batch of cookies helps too!
*

Roll out cookie dough using half the dough at a time, so not to over working the dough and cut cookies with a Gingerbread House cookie cutters.
*

Place cookies on a Silpat covered half baking sheet or cookie sheet of your choice sprayed with cooking spray or covered with parchment paper.
*

Bake for 6-8 minutes or when edges barely start to turn a little darker brown but not burned. Also depends on the size of cookie.
*

Hint: I almost always mix my cookies by hand but my daughter is a pastry chef and mixes everything in stand mixer but either way works great!

Large Batch Royal Icing Recipe:

*3 Egg Whites, room temperature (Use pasteurized Egg Whites if you plan on letting kids decorate and make Gingerbread House, because they may lick their fingers.)

*1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

*5 cups Powdered Sugar

Instructions:

In a stand mixer with wire whip attachment add to the bowl the egg whites and cream of tartar and whip on medium high speed until frothy. Then add 1 cup at a time of the powdered sugar and whip until mixer makes stiff peaks about 5 minutes. Icing should be the consistency that when you cut a knife though the icing it doesn’t come back together.

Use a piping bag with desired tip for piping the Gingerbread houses together.

See Easy Glazed Gingerbread Cookies

Also See Gingerbread Christmas Tablescape

Enjoy!

Lindy

Chicken Apple Bowtie Pasta Salad, gluten free

Chicken Apple Bowtie Pasta Salad

Salad Ingredients:

*1 box 12-ounce Bowtie Pasta, cooked according to directions on package, use Gluten Free if desired

*10-12 Frozen Chicken Tenders, cooked diced, season with DeVerl’s Seasoning or Season All.

*4 Gala Apples, diced

Dressing:

*1 cup Avocado Mayonnaise.

*1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

*2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

*2 to 4 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

*2 teaspoons Onion Powder

*2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

*1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste

*1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl add pasta, chicken and apples. Set aside.

For the dressing: In a small mixing bowl add mayo, yogurt, maple syrup, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix until combined and pour over pasta mixture. Chill and serve.

Enjoy!

Lindy