Gingerbread Village

It’s fun to populate your village with gingerbread people—trees or other accessory pieces. If using cutters less than 2 inches—check cookies a few minutes before minimum time.

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup shortening

¾ cup dark molasses

1/3 cup cold water

3½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cardboard, about 28 X 10 inches

Aluminum foil or nonabsorbent gift wrap

Frosting (below)

Assorted candies, cookies, nuts and chewy fruit snack in 3-foot rolls

Heat oven to 350°. Grease square pan, 9X9 x 2 inches, and jelly roll pan, 15½ X 10½ X 1 inch. Mix brown sugar, shortening and molasses in large bowl. Stir in cold water. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, allspice, cloves and cinnamon.

Press one-third of dough into square pan. Press remaining dough into jelly roll pan. Bake 1 pan at a time about 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in center. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto large cutting surface. Immediately cut jelly roll into fourths and then into buildings as shown in diagram. Cut square into braces as shown. Cool completely.

Cover cardboard with aluminum foil. Decorate fronts of buildings as desired, using Frosting and assorted candies. Use Frosting to attach braces to backs of buildings, buildings to cardboard and sidewalk to cardboard. Complete by decorating as desired. One 4-building village.

FROSTING

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup Shortening

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

5 to 6 teaspoons milk

Few drops food color, if desired

Beat all ingredients until smooth and of spreading consistency.

 

It is a quote. Betty Crocker’s New Christmas Cookbook 1993