Gingerbread Village

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to decorate a spicy gingerbread village!

Makes 30 servings

Gingerbread and Decorations:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup full-flavor molasses
1/3 cup cold water
3 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Assorted candies, nuts, cookies, crackers and cereal

Royal Icing:
1 package (16 ounces) powdered sugar (4 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Food colors, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch square pan and 15 x 10 x 1-inch rectangular pan. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, shortening and molasses until well blended. Stir in cold water. Stir in remaining gingerbread ingredients except assorted candies. Press one-third of dough into square pan. Press remaining dough into rectangular pan.

2. Bake 1 pan at a time about 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in center. Cool 5 minutes. Turn upside down onto large cutting surface. Immediately cut gingerbread in rectangular pan into fourths and then into buildings as shown in illustration. Cut gingerbread in square pan into braces as shown. Cool completely, about 25 minutes.

3. In large bowl, beat all icing ingredients except food colors with electric mixer on low speed until mixed. Beat on high speed 7 to 10 minutes or until very stiff. Divide and tint as desired with food colors. Decorate fronts of buildings as desired, using icing and assorted candies, nuts, cookies, crackers and cereal. Use icing to attach braces to backs of buildings. Let stand 30 minutes or until icing is completely set. Complete by decorating as desired.


Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 170 (Calories from Fat 15); Total Fat 2g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 90mg; Total Carbohydrate 37g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 23g); Protein 2g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 2%; Iron 6%

Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Do-Ahead:
Make the gingerbread the day before the decorating fun begins!

Purchasing:
Meringue powder can be found in craft and cake decorating supply stores.

Special Touch
Complete the landscape of your village with a gingerbread cookie tree. Use 5 small star-shaped cookie cutters in graduated sizes. Bake about 5 minutes. When cool, stack with icing in between and decorate.

Success
Royal Icing dries out quickly, so keep it covered with plastic wrap and work with small portions. Place small portions in small resealable food-storage plastic bags, snip off a corner and squeeze the bag for easy decorating.

Variation
Don't want to get out the mixer to make the icing? Make Quick Gingerbread Frosting instead. Beat 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup shortening, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup and 5 to 6 teaspoons milk with a spoon until frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Betty Crocker 2007/TM General Mills