Gingerbread House Dough Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of butter and the 1 3/4 cups of brown sugar and 1 1/4 cups of white sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in 2 tablespoons of molasses and 6 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. In another large bowl, sift together 6 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
5. Combine the wet and dry mixtures, kneading them together until you form a smooth ball of dough.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
7. On a well-floured surface, roll out a small amount of the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
8. Place one of your paper pattern pieces on the rolled-out dough and carefully cut around the edges with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
9. Gently lift the cut-out dough using a spatula and place it on a foil-lined, prepared cookie sheet.
10. Gather all scraps into a bowl, cover them, and save them for making cute gingerbread men.
11. Bake the cookie pieces in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch.
12. Allow the pieces to cool on wire racks until they are firm enough to handle.
13. Once cool, peel the foil off the sections and set them aside to dry thoroughly overnight.