Dec 18, 2013 2 min read

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This recipe makes enough dough for a basic house with porch and chimney.

Start by mixing the gingerbread dough recipe. A heavy-duty mixer willease the process.

Spread dough on a sheet pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to roll it out (ideally overnight; three hours minimum). It should keep well in the refrigerator for about three days.

Bake at 350 degrees until the dough is deep brown but not black; about 20 minutes.

Tip: Softening butter by getting it to room temperature before beginning the creaming process will allow for a helpful head start, especially if you’re kneading by hand.

Royal icing

Sift sugar after measuring it. Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the sugar mixture. Combine ingredients with a hand mixer on slow speed, then beat them on high for two to five minutes, until they’re snow-white and fluffy.

Keep your icing bowl covered with a damp towel to retain moisture; the mixture crusts quickly when it’s exposed to air.

Tips: Royal icing is the best for assembing and decorating gingerbread houses. Most other icings contain shortening or butter that will eventually soak into the gingerbread and could cause your house to soften and collapse.

Because icing will eventually dry out, you might want to make half the recipe for constructing the house, then make the second half when you’re ready to decorate.

Recipes and tips from “Making Great Gingerbread Houses,” by Aaron Morgan and Paige Gilchrist (Lark Books, a division of Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. Copyright 1999)

-Kathy Spray, Wife of Tom Spray, Assistant managing editor for production