gingerbread houses

me and my husband are hosting a christmas party for our friends on saturday. i made 4 inch tall gingerbread houses for the kids (and some adults) to decorate. the 9 houses on the right are made from a gingerbread house recipe from marthastewart.com and the other ones are from a chocolate cookie recipe. I've never baked chocolate cut out cookies..this one is really yummy.

p.s. i used Wilton meringue powder instead of egg whites for the royal icing. the last time i made royal icing, i used egg whites and i could really taste the egg-yuck. and i just used the recipe from Wilton. 1 lb confectioners sugar with 3 T of meringue powder with 6 T warm water.

Gingerbread house Ingredients from MarthaStewart.com

Makes enough for 5 small house kits (i was able to make 9 because i made my own template to make smaller houses)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark-brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses
• 6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt. Beat in eggs and molasses.
3. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide dough into thirds and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, or using template instructions, if desired. Place dough shapes on ungreased baking sheets; chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake 15 minutes, or until gingerbread is firm in the center, but not dark around the edges.

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INGREDIENTS for chocolate cookies from Allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.