Recipes
Gingerbread House
Checklist - things you’ll need
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Kitchen scales
Mixing bowl
Sieve
Wooden spoon
Tablespoon
Teaspoon
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Measuring jug
Knife
Cling film
Baking tray
Icing bag and nozzle
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175g unsalted butter
225g soft light brown sugar
1 large, free range egg
6 tbsp golden syrup
Ingredients
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675g plain flour (plus extra for dusting).
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground all spice
For the icing
• 1 large, free range egg white
• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the decoration
• Lots of sweets – chocolate buttons, jellybeans or even liquorice can make great decorations!
Mix it
• Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl, then rub the butter into the dry
ingredients until you have a texture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix well.
• Mix the syrup and the egg together in a bowl. Add this to the flour mixture and mix it all up to form
a soft, smooth dough.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it for at least 1 hour. It’s best to leave it overnight.
Cut it
• Cut out templates for your house. Choose from our templates – easy peasy for beginners, or more
complicated for the adventurous amongst you.
• Sprinkle flour onto the work surface, and roll the dough out to about 5mm thick. Cut round the
templates. Lay the pieces onto baking sheets and put into the fridge for another hour. This stops the
pieces from spreading during cooking.
Bake it
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and bake the gingerbread pieces for 8-10 minutes or until
golden brown.
Tip! As soon as they are out of the oven, put the templates back onto the pieces and check that
all the edges are sharp and neat.
Decorate it
• Mix together the icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice and beat for at least 5 minutes. After about
5 minutes of beating you should have a thick, very white meringue type mixture that holds its peak.
You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge until you need it.
• Put some of the royal icing into a piping bag and pipe windows, roof tiles, doors or whatever your
heart desires all over the outside of the house.
• Pipe a thick line of royal icing down all the edges of the pieces, and carefully build your house.
• Finally, add all your sweets and decoration.
shelter.org.uk/gingerbread
Registered charity in England and Wales (263710) and in Scotland (SC002327)