Honey-Gingerbread Cookie Dough for Houses
Makes 1 standard-size gingerbread house: about 6 inches tall, 5 inches long, 5.5 inches wide. When using to make a 3D gingerbread house, use 1//8 -1/4 teaspoon baking soda.Recipe Yield: 1 standard-size gingerbread house.
Servings: 1 house
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 5 tbsp room temperature butter 70 grams
- 1⅓ cup powdered sugar 160 grams
- 3 tbsp honey 65 grams
- 2 whole eggs at room temperature
- 2¾ to 3 cups all-purpose flour 400-430 grams
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground star anise (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- pinch salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg (optional)
Instructions
Honey Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, sift flour (2¾ cups to 3 cups, 400-430 grams), baking soda (1/4tsp), ground cinnamon (1tsp and 1/2tsp), ground star anise (1/2tsp), ginger (1/4tsp), cloves (1/4tsp), salt (pinch).
- Cream room-temperature butter (5tbsp, 70 grams) and powdered sugar (1⅓ cups, 160 grams). Beat till fluffy. Then beat in eggs (2 whole eggs), one at a time.Then gradually pour in honey (3 tablespoons, 65 g), vanilla extract (1tsp), and lemon zest (2 teaspoons). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat for 1 minute.
- Then, on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Beat till combined. Invert the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute. If the dough appears too sticky, add a little more flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Bake Gingerbread House Panels
- Preheat oven to 350°F - 360°F (175°C-180°C).
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a perforated mat.
- To make house panels, roll the dough to 1/8 inch (3mm) to 4mm thick. Cut out house panels.
- Bake large gingerbread house panels for 10-14 minutes, or until golden and light brown. Smaller cookies bake faster, in 8-9 minutes.Let panels cool on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, then transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Egg Wash (optional, use for shiny cookies)
- Whisk the egg well, and then strain the egg to remove any egg bits.
Applying Egg Wash
- To get a shiny finish on cookies, brush the tops right after you take them out of the oven while they are still hot. Be sure not to add too much egg wash,as it can drip down the sides and under the cookies and bake into scrambled eggs.
Video
Notes
- Do I have to use the star anise? I don't have it. I love using star anise, but if you don't have it or can't find it, you can skip it. The finished cookies will still be delicious because of the other spices used.
- How do you grind spices? I use a small coffee grinder. Then I sift ground spices thru a fine mesh sieve.
- How long will this gingerbread house keep? The constructed house will keep for several months. It's best to eat it within a month of making it.
- How would you decorate it without icing? Decorate panels before baking with walnuts, pecans, almonds, chocolate candies, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, coconut, or dried fruits.
- Can I use molasses instead of honey? I'd recommend using honey and molasses (1:1 ratio).