Ingredients
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups molasses
2 eggs
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
6 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
With an electric mixer, cream the margarine or butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in the molasses, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda and half the flour, and mix well. Then add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is shapeable. Form the dough into four thick pancakes then layer them on waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Dust the cardboard template you made earlier with flour so it won't stick to the dough. Place it on the dough and trace around it with a sharp knife; repeat four times.
For the ends of the house, lay a pentagonal side of the cardboard frame on the dough and cut around it with the knife; repeat. You should have 4 rectangle cookie cutouts (2 sides and 2 roof pieces) as well as two pentagons (2 ends).
Place the dough on a greased cookie sheet, checking it against the pattern for accuracy. Bake the gingerbread for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack. This will make enough for one gingerbread house, with plenty left over for gingerbread men and trees.
TESTER'S TIP:
To make the project more manageable, bake the cookies the night before you plan to assemble and decorate the house. It will save you time if you have the kids help you mix up the dough. Then you can cut out the cookies after they have gone to sleep (the cutting requires precision).
