Allergy-Friendly, Gluten-Free Homemade Gingerbread House

Gingerbread

1. To make gingerbread dough, whisk flours, ginger, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and cloves in a medium bowl to combine.
2. To a mixing bowl of a large stand mixer, add brown sugar and buttery spread. Beat on high with mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in molasses.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in dry ingredients, scraping down bowl sides as needed, until dough begins to come together into a ball.
4. Divide dough in half and flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 to make second batch.
6. While dough is chilling, make templates.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Roll out first dough disk to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness on parchment paper. Place template pieces on top of dough. Following the template, cut 1/2-inch away from the template edges (try not to cut through the parchment). The extra border allows for shrinkage and trimming of cooked gingerbread. Reroll scraps and repeat with other templates.
9. Gently transfer parchment paper with dough shapes to baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. On house FRONT, sprinkle crushed candy into each window opening. Bake 10-14 minutes, until edges are brown and center is firm (but soft) to touch. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove gingerbread pieces to a wire rack using a large spatula.
10. Repeat steps 8-10 with remaining dough disks, using cookie cutters to make trees (cut 2 tree shapes for each standing tree), gingerbread men, snowmen, and other desired shapes for decorations once the template is complete.
11. While gingerbread is still warm, gently transfer to a cutting board. Place original templates on top of pieces, and carefully trim any excess to fit template (do not trim the chimney yet). If dough is cooled too much, use a serrated knife. Keep your trimmings for a fence.
12. To make sugar glue, place sugar in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts into thin syrup. If it thickens up at any time, warm over low heat.
13. Assembling gingerbread house: Line a flat, moveable work surface with aluminum foil. Adults should be in charge of assembly (2 people, if possible) as the sugar glue is quite hot.
14. To affix the BACK, carefully and quickly drizzle sugar glue onto SIDE edges, and immediately affix the BACK, lining up the base. Once dry, stand the structure upright.
15. Carefully and quickly drizzle sugar glue onto slanted edges of one ROOF piece, and affix to a top edge of the structure, lining it up with the peak. With a steady hand, hold the piece until set. Repeat with other ROOF piece.
16. Check to see if CHIMNEY FRONT/BACK pieces line up with the roof peak. If not, trim to fit with a serrated knife. Then trim CHIMNEY FRONT/BACK and CHIMNEY SIDE pieces to evenly fit together. Carefully and quickly drizzle sugar glue onto side edges and adhere to one another to create a box shape. Drizzle sugar glue on the slanted edges of chimney, then affix chimney to the roof peak.
17. To secure the house, place it on foil and mark where the four corners hit. Move structure and dollop sugar glue onto foil where corners are marked. Immediately align the house atop sugar glue corners.
18. To attach DOOR (see template for creating), drizzle sugar glue on one long side edge, and affix to a side edge of the house doorway so the door is “open”.

Decorating

• To make a fence, dip long edges of rectangular gingerbread scraps into sugar glue. Affix long edges together to form a picket-style fence. Dip base of fence in sugar glue and place on foil in the ‘front lawn’.
• To make a 2-dimensional standing tree, cut one tree shape in half lengthwise. Dip cut edges in sugar glue, and affix one half to middle of front side of an intact tree shape, and the other half to middle of backside. Once set, it should stand on a crisscross base.
• For the royal icing, sift the powdered sugar, starch, xanthan gum and salt together into a large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly beat in 1/4 cup water. Mix in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until icing just starts to come together into thick paste. Scrape down sides of bowl then beat on high for 2 minutes.
• Scrape icing into a piping bag or large plastic storage bag with a small piece of a lower corner snipped off. Pipe icing to decorate house edges and cut-outs and create snow on fences, ground, and roof. Immediately apply allergy-friendly candy decorations, as desired, before icing sets up.
• For additional gingerbread decorations, such as stars and candy canes, decorate them first then adhere to the ‘ground’ or house with sugar glue.

Allergy-Friendly Decorating Ideas

• Candy Tree Organic licorice laces, twists, bites; lollipops
• Dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, sliced figs
• Enjoy Life Foods for allergy-friendly chocolate
• Gimbal’s Fine Candies gourmet jelly beans, sour, cherry, cinnamon
• Let’s Do Organic Sprinklez organic confetti
• Natural Sprinkles Co. sprinkle pearls
• Skittles candy, various flavors
• SuperNatural sprinkles and stars
• Surf Sweets gummy worms, swirls, jelly beans, sour worms or bears
• Wholesome organic candy canes
• YumEarth lollipops, drops, gummies, snacks, and sour beans