For the ninth instalment of our 12 Bakes of Christmas series, try out a Gingerbread House.
Ingredients:
For the gingerbread:
- 250g unsalted butter
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 7 tbsp golden syrup
- 600g plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking powder)
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- Boiled sweets
To decorate:
- Marshmallow ‘Fluff’
- Icing sugar to dust
- Chocolate buttons
- Candy canes
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200c fan/gas mark 6, melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan.
- Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in a large bowl, then mix in the sugar mixture to make a stiff dough.
- Cut out a house template (2x side walls, a front and back wall and 2x roof pieces), then roll out the dough to a 1cm thickness. Cut out the dough to the shape of the template and place on a baking tray.
- Cut windows into two of the house sides, and place boiled sweets in the hole (these will melt to form ‘glass’ in the oven) .
- Bake the gingerbread for approx 12 mins (or until golden around the edges).
- Spoon the marshmallow fluff into a sandwich bag, then cut off the corner (you now have a piping bag!) and pipe snakes along the edges of the roof and sides of the house to stick it together.
- Leave to dry, then when stable (use cocktail sticks for reinforcement), decorate using the remaining marshmallow fluff, chocolate buttons and candy canes.
Enjoy!
