Gluten Free Gingerbread House Recipe – Delicious & Sturdy

Ingredients:

For the House:
• 2 recipes Carla's Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend Recipe (you'll have plenty leftover)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons additional xanthan gum
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Gingerbread House Templates
• 16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 64 pieces
• 1-1/2 cups packed dark sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Gluten free candy, for faux glass windows (optional)
For Thick Royal Icing Glue:
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more as needed
• 1 large egg white*
For Clear Egg-Free Glue:
• 1 recipe Alternative to Royal Icing for Gingerbread House or melted gluten free chocolate

Instructions:

1. Print out your desired template. You may wish to use the template here, It even has an optional chimney. (In using this template, if you accidentally roll the dough thicker than suggested, you may need 1.5 times the amount of ingredients listed.)
2. Cut out the pieces from the papers you printed out. If using the template at the above link, remember to cut out 2 pieces for the roof.
3. In a very large bowl make 2 recipes of my gluten free all-purpose flour blend. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons additional xanthan gum and whisk until thoroughly combined.
4. Add 6 cups of flour blend to a large bowl. Add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Whisk until combined.
5. In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
6. Add molasses and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.
7. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated and when you add the last egg, also add the vanilla.
8. Add about half of the flour about 1/3 cup at a time and beat on medium speed.
9. Exchange the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and continue to add the remaining flour until a dough forms.
10. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
11. Divide the dough into three pieces and roll one out onto a silicone baking mat (or sheet of parchment paper), to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick (1/8-inch works, too, but turns out a little darker and crispy on the edges. However, a little thicker is easier to glue together.)
12. Lay the templates on top of the dough, spacing 2 inches, at least 1 inch apart. Cut them out using a paring knife and remove the scrap pieces, leaving the gingerbread house pieces in place. Transfer the dough along with the parchment paper to the cookie sheets.
13. Bake for 10 minutes on center shelf.
14. You may cut out cookies from the scrap dough or even a foundation for your house. When using the template at the above link, foundations must be at least 7 x 8 inches, preferably larger to allow for decorating. If not using leftover or scraps of dough for a base, prepare a foundation of your own. You can cover a cutting board with aluminum foil or whatever you prefer to use.
15. Allow baked pieces to cool on cookie sheet for 10 - 15 minutes. Using a thin spatula, gently loosen each cookie from the baking sheet. Transfer one to two spatulas to a wire rack to cool completely. They should be cold to the touch/room temperature.
To Make Colored Faux Glass Windows:
16. Cut windows out one or two sides as desired, leaving panes, also as desired. To make faux glass, crush up hard gluten free candy. Then lay the side piece with a window on a parchment lined baking sheet. fill the inside of the windows with the broken candy and bake at 350 for 5 minutes until candy melts. Cool completely.
To Make the Thick Royal Icing:
17. Place confectioners' sugar in the bowl of your mixer. Add egg white and beat on medium until creamy. (Do not double the recipe in advance because it sets up quickly.)
18. Using one of the above glues, add glue to the bottom and one side of a piece and place on the base. Attach another piece to its glued side and support with a juice glass or something clean, small and sturdy. your pieces together. Add additional pieces until all of the walls are attached.
19. Glue one of the roof pieces on and push a sterilized straight pin to the top corner. Add the second roof piece on in the same fashion.
20. You can stack a couple of larger sandwiched cookies supported by a smaller cookie to use as a chimney or the pieces in the template. You can also skip a chimney altogether.
21. Rather than using the Thick Royal Icing to decorate, I prefer to use my [Traditional Gluten Free Royal Icing|.
22. Once the glue sets completely, remove the straight pins.

Tips

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