Gingerbread Houses

When we decided to host a gingerbread house making party for D's 7th birthday, I had no inkling how much fun it would be...or how much prep would be involved. Maybe if I weren't "baking wounded" as my friend Christina put it. Rolling out batch after batch after batch of gingerbread house pieces with a broken rib was more than a little painful, especially considering that most of the kids completely covered the house in frosting and candies. So we could have made the structure out of cardboard! But the scent of baking gingerbread says Christmas to me, so it was all worth it.

The basic dough...
Ingredients 

• 1 cup butter 
• 1 cup organic dark brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 2/3 cup organic unsulphured molasses 
• 6 cup white whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup chestnut flour 
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder 
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger

Procedure Melt the butter and whisk in the molasses, sugar, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and blend till you have a stiff dough. Split dough into quarters and roll into a ball. Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. Roll dough to desired thickness (I kept them fairly thick to withstand little hands) and cut out your pieces. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness.

Get creative with your decorations. Here are some of ours from the party...

 

And here is my husband's 10-hour creation, complete with lights, beveled edges, and stained glass windows. I was simultaneously impressed, annoyed, and intimidated. Wow. That's all I can say.