Gingerbread

This recipe is one that I have been eating my whole life.  For as long as I can remember, my Mom has made Gingerbread every Christmas.  She made a ton so that all eleven of her kids could decorate houses.  Sometimes we shared big houses and sometimes she made small houses for each of us.  This gingerbread always just brings back good memories for me.  When I bake it now for my kids, the smell brings me back to my own childhood.  This year I decided to make four houses so that each of my kids could decorate their own house.  We went to the candy shop in the mall to pick out candy (they each got to fill a bag with what they wanted).  They had so much fun decorating!  This recipe makes a TON of gingerbread.  I was able to make four medium sized houses, plus a whole bunch of gingerbread men (and a few gingerbread dinosaurs just because A wanted to).


 
Ingredients

1 lb margarine
2 cups sugar
1 12oz bottle of molasses
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp dry ginger
other spices that you like (nutmeg, cloves, etc)
10 cups flour

Directions

1. Cream together margarine, sugar and molasses.  Add water and mix well.
2. Sift the salt, baking soda and spices with a little bit of flour, and then add.
3. Add remaining flour or more to make a soft dough that you can kneed.
4. Roll out on ungreased cookie sheet and cut.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F.  I'm not sure exactly how long - when I'm doing cookies I do it a little shorter because I like them soft, but when I do houses I let it get a little more done so that it is more firm.

** The pattern for the houses you can make out of card-stock - simply spray your card-stock with cooking spray so that it doesn't stick to the dough - then cut around them with a knife.

Frosting

2 egg whites (or egg replacer equiviant - this works well with the egg replacer)
1 lb of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tarter

Beat until peak holds shape


** This frosting is good for putting the houses together, since it will dry very firm.  I put the houses together earlier in the day so that they are set when it comes time to decorate.  I actually use cake frosting to put the candy on, simply because it is easier for the kids to use.