How to Build a Gingerbread Barn House

Raising a gingerbread barn

Gingerbread engineering is a great activity to do with the family during the holidays. There are templates and cutters available on the market for purchase but you can make your own gingerbread barn house by making your own templates at home. When you have a good gingerbread recipe, you do not need to purchase any special kits. A gingerbread barn house is the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table that you can proudly display.

Things You'll Need

• For template:<br />Brown paper bags <br />Pencil <br />Ruler <br /><br />For gingerbread:<br />1 mixer <br />2 medium bowls <br />1 cup unsalted butter, softened <br />1-½ cups light brown sugar, packed <br />2 eggs <br />1 cup molasses, dark <br />1 tsp. vanilla extract <br />6-1/4 cups flour <br />4 tsp. ground ginger <br />2 tsp. ground cinnamon <br />1 tsp. baking soda <br />1/2 tsp. ground cloves <br />1/2 tsp. salt <br />2 cookie sheets <br />Rolling pin<br /><br />For icing:<br />3 cups powdered sugar <br />2 egg whites <br />Piping bag with medium tip <br />Piece of cardboard, 12\" by 12\"

Instructions

Make a Template for the Barn

1. Make two walls. Draw two rectangles that measure 5 inches high and 8 inches long on the brown paper bags. Cut the rectangles out and cut a 2.5 by 2.5-inch door out of one of the rectangles to create a door.

2. Make the front and back wall. These walls are house-shaped, like a triangle on top of a square. The square should measure 5 inches high and 6 inches long. The triangle on top of the square should be 7 inches high. Cut the square and triangle all in one piece for each wall.

3. Create two roof pieces by measuring and cutting two rectangles that measure 4.5 inches wide and 9 inches long. The roof will overhang a bit.

Make the Gingerbread

1. Cream the butter in a mixer until it is smooth; add the sugar. Mix until fluffy and add eggs to the mixture one at a time, followed by the molasses and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cloves and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. The dough will be thick. Shape the dough into a round disk and wrap it in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

3. After a couple of hours have passed, preheat the oven to 350?F. Prepare two cookie sheets with butter or cooking spray.

4. Prepare the dough to place on the cookie sheets. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Use a rolling pin to flatten each half of the dough on a floured surface until it is ¼-inch thick; transfer the flattened dough to the cookie sheets. While the dough is still on the cookie sheet, use the templates you created to cut out the shapes for the four walls and two roof pieces.

5. Bake the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is stiff. Let the dough completely cool before assembling the barn.

Make the Icing

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar and egg whites.

2. Add more powdered sugar to the mixture, if necessary, until the icing resembles glue.

3. Place the icing in a piping bag with a plain, medium tip.

Build the Barn

1. Use a piece of cardboard as the base of the barn. Build the walls of the barn by sticking them together with icing.

2. Let the pieces stand for half an hour before placing the roof on the house. Prop the walls of the barn up with beverage bottles while the icing hardens.

3. Attach the pieces of the roof using the icing as glue.

4. Use the remaining icing to attach decorative elements to the barn, like gumdrops, or draw designs.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to use properly refrigerated, fresh eggs with intact shells, grade A or AA. Due to the short cooking time of the gingerbread, you'll want to reduce the risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness.

References

• Food Network: Gingerbread house