Gingerbread House
With Tamara Jane
Time: 2 hours
Makes: 1
Cost: $8
Ingredients:
250g butter, at room temperature
155g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) golden syrup
2 eggs
750g (5 cups) plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 egg whites
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
420g (2 2/3 cups) pure icing sugar, sifted
200g dark chocolate melts
Kellogg's Mini Wheats cereal
Assorted lollies if you want
Method:
Beat butter, brown sugar and golden syrup until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually stir in flour, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda, ground cloves. Knead until smooth. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Use templates to cut out shapes. Use a 4.5cm round cutter to cut a disc from the front wall to make a window. Cut a cross from the disc. Place in window. Cut out a door. Bake on lined trays for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Trim the edges of the gingerbread. Beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in lemon juice and icing sugar. Place in a piping bag with a 3mm nozzle. Decorate gingerbread with icing. Set aside to set. Cover leftover icing.
Melt chocolate. Spoon into a sealable plastic bag. Cut 1 corner to make a hole. To assemble, see note. For roof, pipe icing along 1 long edge of 1 roof panel. Top with Mini Wheats. Repeat in rows with remaining icing and Mini Wheats, slightly overlapping, trimming to fit, to cover completely. Repeat on other roof panel. Allow to set. Use icing to join chimney pieces. Allow to set. Attach to roof with icing. Dust house with icing sugar.
Don't forget you can always add lots of lollies as well!!
(TX: 8 June 2011)
