Gingerbread Village
This epic gingerbread house makes a gorgeous, sugary tablescape for the holidays.
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- Yields:
- 1
- Prep Time:
- 4 hrs
- Total Time:
- 5 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 batches gingerbread cookie dough
- Assorted house cookie cutters
- Rectangle and square tin cookie cutter sets
- Royal icing
- white nonpareils
Base
- 1 each 10"-, 8"- and 6"-round x 3"-high foam cake rounds
- Corn syrup
- 8 oz. white sanding sugar
- Skewers
- Fairy lights (optional)
For Assembly
- toothpicks
- 8 oz. white sanding sugar
Sledding Gnome
- Red fondant (about 2 1/2 oz.)
- Light pink fondant (about 1/2 oz.)
- Green fondant (less than 1/8 oz.)
Window Gnomes
- White fondant (about 1/8 oz.)
- Light pink fondant (less than 1/8 oz.)
Presents
- Red fondant (about 1 oz.)
- Luster dust
- Clear liquor (we used vodka)
- Royal icing
Sleigh
- Royal icing
- 2 mini candy canes
- Rectangular cookie
Directions
- Step 1Make Village: Prepare 4 batches of gingerbread cookies, using cutters to make shapes shown on cover.
- Step 2Make the royal icing. Transfer 2⁄3 of the icing to a piping bag fitted with a fine tip and decorate the houses as desired. Use a few drops of water to loosen the remaining royal icing; transfer to a piping bag fitted with a size 2 tip. Use to flood roofs (while wet, sprinkle with nonpareils, if using). Let set.
- Step 3Meanwhile, prepare the base: Brush the outsides of each foam cake round with corn syrup and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar; let dry. Stack the cake rounds on top of each other, using skewers to keep them together. Transfer to a serving platter. If using, run fairy lights around each layer.
- Step 4To Assemble: Arrange the cookies up against the foam rounds, using toothpicks to prop them up. (Note: This process is very fragile—bumping the table could knock over the village.) Sprinkle the serving platter with sanding sugar and decorate as desired.
- Step 5Make Sledding Gnome: For the body, make a ball of red fondant, then elongate at one end. For the head, roll light pink fondant into a ball, then slightly flatten. Attach to the body using a toothpick (the toothpick should stick out of both sides of the head). For the ears, roll light pink fondant into a small log and cut in half; press lightly to flatten. Pinch each half at one side and adhere to the head using a little water. For the nose, roll light pink fondant into a round or oval and adhere to the face. For the hat, roll red fondant into a ball, then elongate at one end. Place hat on the sticking-out toothpick on head, using a little water to stick. For the scarf, roll green fondant into a long log; flatten and cut out. Wrap around neck using water as glue.
- Step 6Make Window Gnomes: Make only the heads (above). For the beard, roll white fondant into a ball, then elongate at one end. Glue to the face using a little water. For the hands, roll light pink fondant into 2 balls and flatten slightly. Cut 3 even slits to make 4 fingers and carefully shape into fingers. Carefully press gnomes into windows.
- Step 7Make Presents: Cut red fondant into squares. To add shine, brush with a little luster dust mixed with a drop of clear liquor. Pipe on bows with royal icing.
- Step 8Make Sleigh: Use royal icing to attach candy canes to the side of a cookie and let dry.
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