12 Bakes of Christmas: Gingerbread House

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:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c fan/gas mark 6, melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan.
2. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in a large bowl, then mix in the sugar mixture to make a stiff dough.
3. 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.
4. Cut windows into two of the house sides, and place boiled sweets in the hole (these will melt to form ‘glass’ in the oven) .
5. Bake the gingerbread for approx 12 mins (or until golden around the edges).
6. 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.
7. Leave to dry, then when stable (use cocktail sticks for reinforcement), decorate using the remaining marshmallow fluff, chocolate buttons and candy canes.

Enjoy!