Christmas Crafty Baking Day 3: A House of Gingerbread & Cookie Basket Mini Tutorial

Today's crafty baking project is spicy ginger snap cookies nestled in a basket and then placed in their very own house. It would be fantastic to make with the kids, or even the whole family. I have always loved Gingerbread houses. I am NO good at making them, so I thought I would make a HOUSE to store my Gingerbread Snaps, which I am good at making :)

These easy to make, one bowl cookies will fill up the house with the most wonderful smell- I can only describe it as the smell of Christmas. They are crun-chewy - crunchy on the edges and the outside, then chewy in the center. So yummy!

Look at how cute this little paper basket is - and so easy! What you need, and to make it are below.

The Baking Part: Tips and Recipe

Suzy's Snappy Gingerbread Cookies recipe can be found here <<click. There is a print button to easily print this recipe to use in your kitchen. Please note this recipe is NOT good for making gingerbread men - it is more of a snap cookie. While I like to make mine spicy (hello Mr. Cayenne Pepper!), you can adjust the spices to your family's palette and omit cayenne pepper, which provides nothing but a little kick. These are not hot or the kind that you feel a tingle on your tongue with. Add more spice if you like that! You can also use light molasses for a more subtle flavor and lighter cookie. I love the rich flavor and deep brown color of dark molasses. I like to use unsulphured molasses - no sulfur was used in the processing so it has less of a metallic taste to me. I find it in the organic section of my grocery store.

I flatten the dough with the bottom of a glass.

Important: If you plan to put your cookies in the little baskets I made, you need to make smaller sized cookies than the recipe calls for. I made 1/2 inch balls.

Once the dough is made, I sit at my craft table and make the box while the dough chills (about 30 minutes). 

The finished product - flat, with deep cracks. Yum!

Supplies Needed to Make a House for Your Gingerbread:

• Gable Box: available online at Papertrey or Buy Gift Box, or at craft stores like Michael's. I got a teeny 4 inch one to hold 4-6 cookies at my local art supply store Loomis.
• Plain Jumbo Muffin Cups - the largest you can find (cheapest in the baking aisle of your grocery store)
• Small holiday stamps (I am using dollar store stamps and the Papertrey Holiday Treats set)
• inks
• mod podge and foam applicator
• X-acto knife
• clear glue dots or non toxic glue of some sort
• patterned paper and/or card stock (Daisy D's Snowflakes and Holly used here, and BasicGrey Figgy Pudding in the sides)
• other embellishments you wish to use - I used acetate, ribbon, lace, red line tape, Stickles, pencils to color the "door" and Anita Hinge stickers that I cut apart for door hinges.

1. Trace the shape of each side and roof of your house with  pencil on paper. I decided not to paper the very top part. Cut inside the lines so that there is a bit of room. I sponged the corners with white ink.

Please note that you can double click any of my pictures to make them bigger.

2. The "key hole" area on the top of the box is not tricky at all, especially if you use a thinner patterned paper like Daisy D - simply trace it and use the X-acto knife.

3. Using sponge applicator, apply Mod Podge to the box, then adhere paper to the box. 

4. Decorate! You can make yours as simple or as complicated as you like. Here is how I decorated mine:

• Applied red line tape between the roof and house so that I could stick cotton trim
• Windows: cut little acetate squares and  sponged them with white craft ink for frosty snow covered windows, and cut a bit of lace ribbon for curtains.
• Door: I cut a door out of cardstock, colored it with pencils to give it a wood grain look, then added cut up hinge stickers for door hinges and a doorknob. The wreath on the door is a cut out stamp from the Papertrey Holiday Treats set. I added red and green Stickles and adhered it with pop dots.
• Finally, I added a copped embossed gingerbread man from the Papertrey Holiday Treats set. He has Rex Xmas Stickles on his buttons.

Making Cookie Baskets:

This is the easiest part! Flatten a jumbo muffin liner. Stamp it and reshape it. Take another plain muffin liner and put a clear glue dot on the bottom and adhere it to the stamped liner. Punch two 1/8 inch holes on either side of the NON-STAMPED liner and insert 1/8 inch ribbon. Tie ends twice in a knot. Each basket will hold 4-6 small cookies.

My 4 inch gable box held one basket. The ribbon makes it so easy to pull out of the box. A nice little treat to make for friends or family. If you are shipping this I would recommend putting it in air tight Ziploc.

This would also be fantastic for kids to make for teachers or friends. Imagine the fun they could have making the box. You can stamp or paint on the box instead of paper it. Let your imagination run wild! Just keep it all non toxic. No paint or ink goes near the food but you still want to watch that.

I hope you liked today's craft project! Please let me know if you do it, I would love to see a picture. It is so nice to hear that I am not just typing to myself out there ha ha.

{hugs}

Suzy

Comments

[Melissa M. M. M.]

OMG! I want to live in this little house--it is that sweet! Loving your amazing work as usual, :0) Mel

[Lynda Benden]

This is so cute and the cookies look just delicious!!! You did a fantastic job on the house and the way you decorated it is great!

~Lynda

[Laura Simpkinson]

This is the CUTEST thing EVAH! I love it! I think I may have to go to Michaels and see if they have any cute little boxes.. Kind of in a time crunch if I were to do these for Xmas now. Thanks for the wonderful idea... my daughter will have a blast with this!

[Lindsey (jacksonbelle)]

OMGOSH That is just cute as can BE!!!! Awesome job, those cookies look delish!!

[Ellie Augustin]

OHH mannnnn I could almost smell those cookies all the way over here! lol.. mmmmmm I love that Ginger Bread House.. hmm would it be cheating if I put store bought cookies! lol ;)

[Dawn Chau]

Hiya Suzy!!! Your baking ideas are too cute! I've got a question about the Rugelach though...this will be my first year making it and the recipe I've found calls for dried "currants"...is this the same as dried cherries??

Thanks
Dawn:)

[Lemon Blossom]

I looooove crun-chewy gingersnap cookies, they are my favorite. In fact, I just ate one before dinner (shhh, don't tell the boys). Now I can make my own, if I ever get myself together. I'm afraid the cute house will have to wait for when you visit CA or when we come up to Canada, though, because I'm so lost when it comes to this stuff. I hope all is well way up north, and throw a snow ball for me. :)