Gingerbread House with Caramel Glaze

In a medium saucepan, mix brown sugar, black molasses, butter, ground cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger. Place on low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves — about 10 minutes.

Add the milk, remove from heat and let the mixture cool.

Pour the milk mixture into a bowl, add baking powder and wheat flour. Using an electric mixer on low speed, gradually increasing to medium, mix well until you achieve a uniform consistency.

Divide the dough in half, shape two discs, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Dust the top with flour, apply the template and cut out the pieces with a cutter. For windows, use a small knife.

Transfer the cut pieces onto parchment paper for baking. Bake, flipping the sheets as soon as the edges start to brown — about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Prepare caramel syrup for bonding the pieces. Mix 1.25 cups of sugar and 0.75 cups of water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the syrup thickens and turns light brown — about 10 minutes. Use immediately.

Dip one tip of the front part of the gingerbread house into syrup and let the excess drip off. Only treat the tip that you will be joining. Assemble the house quickly — the caramel hardens. Press the glued fragments together firmly for better adhesion. Repeat with all the box elements of the house.

Coat the edges of the pediment with caramel syrup and immediately attach the roof, fitting it evenly and centered.

For the pipe, first glue the structural elements together with caramel, then attach the pipe to the roof. If the caramel begins to harden, place the pan in the oven for a short time.

Attach the door to the frame, leaving it in a slightly open position.

Prepare white icing for decoration. Beat with a mixer 3.25 cups of sugar, 80 g of dry egg white (or egg whites from 3–4 eggs without water) and 1.75 cups of water until you get a fluffy white mass — approximately 7–8 minutes. Use immediately, as the icing hardens quickly.

Use icing to draw outlines around the windows and doors, depict tiles on the roof. Cover the roof with powdered sugar to give the appearance of snow coverage.