Easy Gingerbread Dough Recipe

This sturdy dough is perfect for gingerbread architecture during the holiday season.

Three Stunning Gingerbread Houses

This holiday season, craft up a project that's fun for the entire family. Beautiful gingerbread houses are easy to construct with a sturdy dough recipe and a thick royal icing to keep all the pieces intact. Learn how to make miniature Victorian, log cabin and Cape Cod homes from edible pieces this winter.

By: Heather Baird

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Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into large bowl.
2. Beat butter in another large bowl with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add brown sugar and beat 1 minute.
4. Add molasses and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Add egg and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
6. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla.
7. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just to blend (Image 1).
8. Gather dough into ball and divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into a disk (Image 2). Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
9. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
10. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
11. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness (Image 3).
12. Use gingerbread house templates to cut out shapes (Image 4) and transfer to prepared sheets spacing 2 inches apart.
13. Gather scraps, roll out dough and cut more shapes if necessary.
14. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and slightly darker around edges, about 8 minutes for smaller shapes and up to 15 minutes for larger shapes.
15. Cool completely on rack. Line baking sheets with fresh parchment as needed.

Note: Cookies will not spread much during baking, but for precise gingerbread house construction, cookies can be perfectly re-cut while still hot. Place the paper templates on top of the hot cookies and quickly cut with a plain-edge knife (Image 5).

For making the gingerbread house dough, you will need the following ingredients: flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, molasses, an egg and vanilla extract.

Gather gingerbread dough into ball and divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/4-inch thickness.

Use the Cape Cod house template to cut pieces from the gingerbread dough and transfer to prepared sheets, spacing two inches apart.

Remove the gingerbread from the oven and re-cut the pieces using the templates and a sharp knife. This will ensure the pieces fit together perfectly when assembled. Let pieces cool completely.

Gingerbread House Dough

For making the gingerbread house dough, you will need the following ingredients: flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, molasses, an egg and vanilla extract.

Gingerbread House Dough

Gather gingerbread dough into ball and divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.

Roll out the Gingerbread House Dough

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/4-inch thickness.

Cutting the Gingerbread Dough

Use the Cape Cod house template to cut pieces from the gingerbread dough and transfer to prepared sheets, spacing two inches apart.

Cut the Gingerbread House Pieces Using the Template

Remove the gingerbread from the oven and re-cut the pieces using the templates and a sharp knife. This will ensure the pieces fit together perfectly when assembled. Let pieces cool completely.