Gingerbread House Façades

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 Gingerbread House Façade template (see below)
• 1 cup Royal Icing (recipe graphic below)
• 4 to 5 oz assorted candy

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves and pepper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light, about 2 min. Beat in egg and molasses until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until a dough forms. Halve dough, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into disks and chill until firm, about 45 min.
3. Heat oven to 350ºF and place rack in center. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using template and a small knife, cut out houses and transfer to prepared sheets. Bake until set, 7 to 9 min. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool 2 min. Transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely.
4. Transfer 1 cup icing to a decorating bag fitted with a small plain tip (tip #3). Secure end of bag with a rubber band, squeezing out air. Decorate façades with icing and candy.