Gingerbread House

3 Cups Sifted All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 teaspoons Mixed Spice
8 Teaspoons Ginger
1 Cup Shortening
11/2  Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Unsulphered Molasses
2 Eggs

Sift together first 5 ingredients. Blend together molasses, shortening, sugar and eggs. Stir dry ingredients into molasses mixture. Add enough of the additional flour to make a dough stiff enough to be shaped into a disc. Refrigerate overnight for easier handling. Can be frozen

Roll to about 1/4" thickness on a floured cookie sheet. Trace the house pattern pieces onto typing paper and cut out. Arrange pattern pieces on cookie dough and carefully cut around each pattern being certain to allow 1/2" space between pieces to allow the dough to expand as it bakes.

Cut the dough with a sharp paring knife or the edge of a metal pancake turner. Be certain the walls and roof are the same size as the patterns. Remove scraps leaving house pieces on the cookie sheet. Do not attempt to shift pieces once they have been cut out. This will stretch the dough and distort the shape. Bake at 350 12-15 mins.

Cool on a wire rack

Assemble using Royal Icing as "glue". Glue the walls together first. When icing has hardened (about 15 mins) then glue on the roof. Glue on the chimney and door. When icing has hardened you may begin decorating the house with additional icing and candy.

An AMAZING Cheat:

Roll out strips of fondant and use them to anchor the house to the board and to hold the pieces together, before finishing with royal icing, makes things so much easier.