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MATERIALS
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I recipe Sugar Cookie Dough
2 recipes Gingerbread Cookie Dough
2 recipes Royal Icing
Wafer-crème cookies (shutters)
Fruit-flavored circle candies (wreaths by front door)
Tiny flavor-coated gum (trim above windows)
Multicolored nonpareils (decorations on swags and trees)
Graham cracker squares (porch)
Peanut halves (chimney,
Frosted bite-size shredded wheat biscuits (roof thatch)
Mixed nuts (garden wall)
Waffle-pointed ice cream cones (trees)
Silver dragees (door trim and tree and lamp toppers)
Candy cane sticks (porch posts and lamp post)
Gumdrops (porch post and lamp post bases)
Pretzel sticks (woodpile)
Quilt batting
Gingersnaps (stepping stones)
© b s e ru c r________________________ December 12. 2007
Fairy-Tale Cottage
Nothing makes a more impres
sive centerpiece during the
holidays than a homemade
gingerbread house, and they
are not as difficult to make as
they might appear. It is also a
great way to get your children
involved in the holiday festivi
ties. You can put the basic fram e
structure together and watch the
kids have a ball decorating with
their favorite candies. Captivate
young and old alike with this
fanciful Heartland gingerbread
cottage. I t’s tucked behind a nut
fence and landscaped with ice
cream cone trees and
gingersnap stones. The bunga
low sports a roof o f shredded
wheat, sugar-wafer shutters and
a porch with candy posts. It's a
great fam ily project!
ASSEMBLING
Porch: Break a graham cracker square in half, lengthwise. Break another graham cracker square in half, diagonally. Decorate one of the triangles as
desired; discard the remaining triangle. Assemble the porch roof, using icing to cement the pieces together and to attach the roof to the two-tone
end piece.
Cottage: Assemble the larger section of the cottage on “1" end of the cookie base, using a star tip to pipe icing on each of the edges that will join
with another piece. Press pieces together (Photo 3). Assemble the smaller section next to the larger section, using icing to hold the sections. Let icing
dry thoroughly.
Roofs: Using a star tip, pipe icing on .‘op edges of side and end pieces of both sections of the cottage. Press roof pieces into position, placing the
notched ends of roof pieces B at the outside edge (Photo 4).
Chimney: Cement 3 chimney pieces together with icing; attach to end of smaller section with icing, fitting chimney into notched area of roof. Spread
1 area of chimney with icing. Place peanut halves in icing, allowing a little space between nuts (Photo 5). Repeat till chimney is covered with icing
and nuts. Let dry.
Thatch on roof: Generously spread icing, a little at a time, over roof pieces. Press shredded wheat biscuits into the icing, staggering the rows like
shingles (Photo 6).
Garden wall and trees: Pipe icing on waxed paper to form a wall. Place mixed nuts in frosting. Repeat to make a wall four layers high. Let dry. Carefully
peel off waxed paper. For trees, with a star tip, pipe swags on ice cream cones. Sprinkle with nonpareils. Top trees with silver dragees.
GINGERBREAD COOKIE DOUGH
"Make two batches o f this recipe; don't double it. There'll be
some left over to make cutout cookies, gingerbread people or
stepping stones. "
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with electric mixer for 30
seconds or till fluffy. Add the sugar, ginger, allspice, baking soda and salt. Beat
mixture till combined.
2. Add egg, molasses and lemon juice. Beat till combined.
3. With the electric mixer, beat in as much of the all-purpose flour as you can.
Stir in any remaining all-purpose flour and the whole-wheat flour with a spoon.
4. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours or till
firm enough to roll out.
SUGAR
COOKIES
Icicles: Using a decorating bag fitted with star tip, touch tip to
edge of roof. Squeeze bag gently; pull down tapering frosting
to a point. Pull tip away. Repeat around edges of roof. Spread
icing over porch roof; add icicles.
Lamp: Press a candy cane stick into a gumdrop. Cement a fruit-
flavored circle candy to the top of the candy stick with icing.
Cement a yel low gumdrop onto the circle candy. Let dry. Top the
gumdrop with a silver dragee.
Woodpile: Cement pretzel sticks together with icing. Make a
mouse from a peanut half. Use nonpareils for eyes and string for
atail.
CUTTING AND BAKING
1. Enlarge the pattern pieces, as directed (refer to pattern diagram above).
2. Divide Sugar Cookie Dough in half. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out half
to 1/4-inch thickness. For ease in baking, roll out the dough and cut out the pieces
on the back of an ungreased 15x10x1 -inch baking pan (Photo 1). Bake the pieces
right on the back of the pan. Cut out 2 roof pieces using roof pattern.
3. Divide remaining dough in half. Roll out I portion and cut I piece using roof
pattern B. Roll out remaining portion
and cut out another piece, turning roof pattern B over. Set aside Sugar Cookie
Dough scraps.
4. Roll out I portion of Gingerbread Cookie Dough and cut I piece using end
pattern A. For the two-tone end of cottage (Photo 2), cut the pattern on the dotted
line that forms the base of the large triangle to form a rectangle and a large triangle.
Cut the rectangle from the Gingerbread Cookie Dough. Roll out the Sugar Cookie
Dough scraps. Cut the.large triangle from the Sugar Cookie Dough. Place these
2 pieces on a baking sheet with the long edges touching. Roll lightly to seal. For
the beams, cut 4 strips 1/4 inch wide from the scraps of Gingerbread Cookie
Dough. Place on the end piece (shown in Photo 2).
1
5. For the base, roll out another portion o f the Gingerbread Cookie Dough to an
irregular oval about 16x 16” - Mt”x 12- inches on a foil-lined extra large baking
sheet. Trim edges. Use the remaining Gingerbread Cookie Dough tocut out 2 side
pieces using side pattern A, 2 side pieces using side pattern B, 2 end pieces using
end pattern B and 3 chimney pieces,
| 6. Bake pieces in a 375° oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till edges are lightly browned.
While cookie pieces are still warm, place patterns on cookies and trim away
excess dough. The more exactly you cut the pieces, the easier the cottage will
i fit together. Cool pieces on baking sheet.
ROYAL ICING
"Make this
frosting when
you 're ready to
assemble the
cottage. Then,
make a second
batch when you
need it. For best
results don't
double the recipe."
Ingredients
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3 egg whites
16-ounce package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Food coloring
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites,
sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar.
2. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 7 to
10 minutes or till very stiff. Use icing immediately.
3. Except when filling pastry tube, keep the icing
in the bowl covered with wet paper towels to
prevent it
from drying out. Tint with the food coloring, as
directed. Makes 3 cups.
Ingredients
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1 l/2cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the
butter with an electric mixer for 30
seconds or till fluffy.
2. Add the sugar and baking soda.
Beat the mixture till well combined.
3. Beat egg into the butter mixture
till combined.
“ You 'll have some o f
this dough left over to
make cookie cutouts. ”
FINISHINGTOUCHES
Porch posts: With icing, cement a candy cane stick on top of a
fruit-flavored circle candy. Repeat. Position sticks, circle candy
side down, under porch roof. Secure with icing.
4. Beat in as much of the flour as
you can with the mixer. Stir in any
remaining flour with a spoon.
SEA SO N S
M A R K E T
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
5. Cover and chill dough for about
2 hours or till firm enough to roll.
DECORATING
1. Using white Royal Icing in adeco-
rating bag fitted with a small round
tip, pipe windows and doors on side
and end pieces (Photo 2). Using
green icing and a small star tip, pipe
a line around each window and door.
If you like, pipe light strings on
beams.
2. Separate 6 wafer-creme cookies
into 2 layers each. Use Royal Icing
to attach cookie layers next to win
dows on the sides of the cottage for
shutters. Attach fruit-flavor circle
candies for wreaths next to the door,
and tiny flavor-coated gum pieces
above windows. Pipe white scrolls
on shutters.
3. Using green icing and a medium
star tip, pipe an evergreen swag
under each window. Decorate with
multicolored nonpareils. Using red icing and the small round tip. pipe a
bow under each shutter. For lights on green strings, use the small round
tip to pipe small dabs of red, green, blue and yellow icing. Let icing dry.
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