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Gingerbread Birdhouse
This gingerbread birdhouse will be a great conversation piece on the center of your holiday table.
Recipe courtesy of Abigail's Hotel
| Yield : 1 birdhouse |
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fancy molasses
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 3 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
Preparation
In a large bowl, mix together shortening and brown sugar until well combined; add egg; cream until light and fluffy. Add molasses, combining well. Add dry ingredients to molasses mixture a little at a time until all is well combined.
Turn gingerbread dough out onto wax paper; roll into a short log; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Trace pattern pieces onto wax paper; cut out number of pieces for each section as indicated. Divide wax pattern pieces so you have a roof, 2 sides and a back piece together (tray 1) and the remaining roof and front pieces together (tray 2).
Divide log of dough into thirds. Spray or oil 2 sideless cookie sheets, a rolling pin and your hands. Put 2/3 dough into middle of one cookie sheet; put remaining dough back into fridge.
Using a rolling pin and your hands, spread out dough to almost cover surface of cookie sheet, leaving dough about ¼” thick. Lay out tray 1 pattern pieces on dough, being sure pieces don’t touch each other. Cut around pieces using a sharp knife; remove all extra dough. Bake in middle of oven 10 -12 minutes.
Repeat with remaining cookie sheet and tray 2 pattern pieces, rolling dough out to ¼ inch, covering half of the cookie sheet.
Use any remaining dough for cookies. Remove cooked gingerbread from oven; immediately lay pattern pieces on top; re-trim pieces to size with a sharp knife. When the piece for the front of the birdhouse has finished baking, re-cut the hole.
Icing: In a large bowl, using electric beaters beat all ingredients together until thick and smooth.
Birdhouse Assembly
Lay the “back” piece flat on the counter. Using a piping bag (or plastic sandwich bag with a small snip off a corner) pipe icing lightly onto the outside vertical edges of the back piece and on one end of a “side” piece.
Attach side to back, standing it up at right angles to the back. Repeat for the other side. It helps to use a canned good for support until it dries.
Let set for a few hours or overnight. Stand the house up with the back piece away from you; lightly pipe icing onto vertical edges of “front” piece and both ends of “side” pieces. Attach front to side pieces- the house will now stand upright with all four sides in place. Let set for a few hours or overnight.
Lay one “roof” piece flat on counter, lengthwise. Apply icing lightly to one side of front and back pieces (on ends) and on side piece (on top end). Attach roof piece. The roof should overhang the front and back of the house by about 1-1/2 inches and the sides by the same amount. Repeat for the other roof piece.
Let set for a few hours or overnight. Insert the cinnamon stick “perch” by punching a tiny hole below the front door hole. With a dab of icing, glue the stick into the hole. Encourage your children of all ages to decorate the birdhouse in their own style with various candies.
Great as a table centerpiece! Happy Holidays!
Turn gingerbread dough out onto wax paper; roll into a short log; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Trace pattern pieces onto wax paper; cut out number of pieces for each section as indicated. Divide wax pattern pieces so you have a roof, 2 sides and a back piece together (tray 1) and the remaining roof and front pieces together (tray 2).
Divide log of dough into thirds. Spray or oil 2 sideless cookie sheets, a rolling pin and your hands. Put 2/3 dough into middle of one cookie sheet; put remaining dough back into fridge.
Using a rolling pin and your hands, spread out dough to almost cover surface of cookie sheet, leaving dough about ¼” thick. Lay out tray 1 pattern pieces on dough, being sure pieces don’t touch each other. Cut around pieces using a sharp knife; remove all extra dough. Bake in middle of oven 10 -12 minutes.
Repeat with remaining cookie sheet and tray 2 pattern pieces, rolling dough out to ¼ inch, covering half of the cookie sheet.
Use any remaining dough for cookies. Remove cooked gingerbread from oven; immediately lay pattern pieces on top; re-trim pieces to size with a sharp knife. When the piece for the front of the birdhouse has finished baking, re-cut the hole.
Icing: In a large bowl, using electric beaters beat all ingredients together until thick and smooth.
Birdhouse Assembly
Lay the “back” piece flat on the counter. Using a piping bag (or plastic sandwich bag with a small snip off a corner) pipe icing lightly onto the outside vertical edges of the back piece and on one end of a “side” piece.
Attach side to back, standing it up at right angles to the back. Repeat for the other side. It helps to use a canned good for support until it dries.
Let set for a few hours or overnight. Stand the house up with the back piece away from you; lightly pipe icing onto vertical edges of “front” piece and both ends of “side” pieces. Attach front to side pieces- the house will now stand upright with all four sides in place. Let set for a few hours or overnight.
Lay one “roof” piece flat on counter, lengthwise. Apply icing lightly to one side of front and back pieces (on ends) and on side piece (on top end). Attach roof piece. The roof should overhang the front and back of the house by about 1-1/2 inches and the sides by the same amount. Repeat for the other roof piece.
Let set for a few hours or overnight. Insert the cinnamon stick “perch” by punching a tiny hole below the front door hole. With a dab of icing, glue the stick into the hole. Encourage your children of all ages to decorate the birdhouse in their own style with various candies.
Great as a table centerpiece! Happy Holidays!
