Directions
1. Note
This is a base recipe for strong gingerbread dough that is perfect for building houses. This recipe makes enough dough to fit in one standard 18” x 13” baking sheet. You will need to measure your house template of choice to determine how much dough you need to make (for example, we had to make a 6x batch to make enough dough for our house.)
2. Preheat
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Combine & Mix
In a medium bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, except for the flour, and mix on low speed until well combined (be careful not to whip the mixture or it might spread in the oven!)
4. Stir & Knead
Add in the flour and stir until just combined, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and not sticky to the touch.
5. Roll
Dust a piece of parchment paper (cut to fit your baking sheet) and the surface of the dough with a little more flour and roll out to just slightly thicker than ⅛” thick. Carefully slide the rolled dough and parchment onto a baking sheet.
6. Cut
Using your gingerbread house template of choice, score each piece in the dough, but leave a 1” border of scrap dough around each cut. This will help ensure your dough doesn’t spread! Remove any excess dough beyond the border and save it to re-roll.
7. Bake
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cookie is dry to the touch. As soon as you remove it from the oven, score over your initial cut marks again to cut all the way through. Cool the whole cookie (scraps included!) until it is crisp and dry, then simply snap off the scraps and either enjoy them as a snack or reserve for future baking projects.
