Peppermint Gingerbread House

Preparation:

Special equipment:

Ingredients:

Gingerbread cookies

• 3 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) shortening at room temperature
• 0.5 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cups unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Royal icing

• 450 g of powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. dry egg white
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp peppermint extract

Decoration

• 4 red and white striped mint gummies, cut in half crosswise
• 12 coated chocolate candies, such as M&M's
• 18 white jelly beans
• 2 large round green gummy candies
• About 20 red cinnamon candies, such as Red Hots
• 15 white gummy bears
• 96 white melting candies, such as Candy Melts
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• Approximately 40 white gummy candies with sprinkles
• 2 sticks clear crystal sugar, crushed
• Pearl sugar, for sprinkling
• 14 mini marshmallows

Preparation:

1. Classic gingerbread dough:
   Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and cloves into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the molasses, vanilla extract, and egg and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely set, at least 2 hours or overnight. This dough makes a 6x7-inch house, and how you decorate it is up to your imagination! Use the scraps of dough to make simple cookies to munch on while you build the house (see recipe). Gingerbread house).
3. Meanwhile, cut out the templates for the gingerbread house. Gather three sheets of heavy paper or two cardboard folders (cut along the seam), scissors, a ruler, and a pencil. For the side panels, draw and cut out a rectangle measuring 10 x 17.5 cm. For the front and back panels of a house with a gabled roof, draw and cut out a template measuring 15 cm at the base, 10 cm to the roofline, and 11 cm at the roof slopes. The template for the roof panels should be 11 x 20 cm.
4. Preheat oven to 150°C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Unroll the dough and cut it into 3 equal pieces (using a pizza wheel is best). Working with one piece of dough at a time (refrigerate the remaining pieces), roll the dough into a rectangle 0.3-0.5 cm thick. Use a template to cut out the side panels and trim off any trim around the pieces.
6. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough, cutting out the front and back panels of the house and two roof panels. If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then continue. Discard any scraps of dough or roll them out and simply bake the cookies. Place the dough pieces on the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
7. Bake the gingerbread cookies until almost crisp (the very center will still be slightly soft), 30-35 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the house pieces to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Royal icing:
   In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the dry egg whites. Add the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and 5 tablespoons of water and beat with a mixer on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes, adding up to 1 more tablespoon of water if needed. Divide the icing equally between two prepared pastry bags (one with a small plain tip and one with a large plain tip).
9. Decorate the side panels: (size 10×17.5 cm.)
   
   Using a bag fitted with a small tip, pipe two windows onto one of the side panels using icing. Pipe icing onto the backs of four mint gummy candies and attach them to the sides of the windows to create shutters. Decorate the wall by pipetting 12 dots along the top of the panel; attach six white-glazed chocolate candies, pressing them onto every other dot. Repeat with the second side panel. Let the panels dry completely, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Decorate the front panel:
    
    Using a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, pipe a double line of frosting onto the front panel where the roof begins; press on half of the white jelly beans. Pipe a large dot of frosting onto the back of one green gummy candy and attach it to the panel just above the line of jelly beans; pipe a small dot of frosting into the center of the green candy and attach a red cinnamon candy. Use frosting to create a door; attach a red cinnamon candy with frosting to create a doorknob.
11. Next to the door, draw 2 windows with icing and press a red cinnamon candy into each corner of each window.
12. Pipe icing onto the backs of 6 gummy bears and attach 3 bears to each side of the door. Let the panels set for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
13. Decorate the back panel:
    
    Using a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, pipe a line of frosting onto the back panel where the roof begins; press the remaining white jelly beans onto it. Pipe a large dot of frosting onto the back of the remaining green gummy candy and attach it to the back panel just above the line of jelly beans; pipe a small dot of frosting into the center of the green candy and attach the red cinnamon candy.
14. Use icing to create two windows and press a red cinnamon candy into each corner of each window. Apply icing to the backs of the remaining 9 gummy bears and attach them along the bottom edge. Let the panel set for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
15. Decorate the roof panels: (size 11×20 cm.)
    
    Using a piping bag fitted with a small tip, pipe dots of icing onto the back of eight white melt-in-the-dark candies and attach them to the bottom edge of one roof panel to create a row of tiles. To apply "glue" for the next row of candies, pipe short lines (about 1 cm each) starting from the roof panel above each candy and ending in the center of each candy.