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.
4. Beat in as much
of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with
a spoon.
5. Cover and chill
dough for about 2 hours or till firm enough to roll.
GINGERBREAD COOKIE
DOUGH
Make two batches of
this recipe; don't double it. There'll be some left over to make cutout
cookies, gingerbread people or stepping stones.
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
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.
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.
3 egg whites
16-ounce package powdered
sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon
cream of tartar
Food coloring
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.
CUTTING AND BAKING
1. Enlarge the pattern
pieces, as directed.
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 A. 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.
3. 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 l/4 inch wide from the scraps
of Gingerbread Cookie Dough. Place on the end piece (shown in Photo 2).
3. For the base, roll
out another portion of the Gingerbread Cookie Dough to an irregular oval
about 16 16 1/2x12 inches on a foil-lined extra large baking sheet. Trim
edges. Use the remaining Gingerbread Cookie Dough to cut 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.
4. 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 fit together. Cool nieces on baking sheet.
DECORATING
1. Using white Royal
Icing in a decorating 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 windows 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.
ASSEMBLING
Porch: Break
l graham cracker square in half, lengthwise. Break another graham cracker
square in half, diagonally. Decorate 1 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 I 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 top 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).
FINISHING TOUCHES
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.
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.
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.
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 yellow 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 a tail.
Set cottage on a level surface covered with quilt batting. Arrange the wall, trees, lamp, woodpile and gingersnap stepping stones as desired.
TIPS
· Cover patterns
with clear adhesive plastic to protect against grease.
· For easier
handling, place the cottage base on a large baking sheet. Construct the
cottage right on the sheet. When the cottage is completely dry, gently
slide it off onto a table.
