What?!!! You don't eat your gingerbread house? Well, you're gonna want to eat this one. I'm going to share with you this delicious recipe, and show you how we make our gluten free / dairy free gingerbread house. You're going to love it!

Let me start by saying that decorating a gingerbread house has been a Christmas tradition we have enjoyed since our oldest was a toddler. When we had to change our diet to one that is allergy friendly, this tradition had to fall by the wayside. For two years, I watched their faces fall when the kits would come out it stores. It was almost heart-breaking. So, I spent some time with "Google" and came up with some recipes I thought we could try. I did not expect such success. This recipe not only holds up to four children "building" on it at once, but it is tastier than any gingerbread I have ever had. You can go right to the sight if you'd like (she is a wealth of gluten free knowledge) or you can follow the recipe below.

So, here goes. These are the ingredients you'll need:

1 cup amaranth flour

2 cups potato starch

3 cups sweet rice flour

3 cups brown rice flour

2 Tbsp xanthan gum

3 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp potato flour

2 Tbsp ground ginger (or more if you're a big fan of ginger)

1 Tbsp ground allspice

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

3 cups powdered sugar

2 cups dark brown sugar

2 cups shortening (I used butter - earth balance, salted)

1 cup eggs (typically about 4-5)

1/2 cup = 2 Tbsp dark molasses (or 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses)

1 Tbsp salt (omit this if you are using salted butter)

We like to design and create a pattern on paper first.

These are some of the treats we like to use for decorating.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, and spices until well-combined. Set aside.
In another large bowl (I used my KitchenAid), cream together the powdered and brown sugars, shortening, eggs, molasses and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, about 2 cups at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once the flour mixture is mostly incorporated, knead the dough in the bowl, folding the sides of the dough toward the middle. You may want to put the dough on a non-stick surface (like a silicone mat or marble slab) and knead the dough there if it's easier. Be sure to incorporate all the flour mixture until you have a stiff dough.
If the dough is too dry, and will not hold all of the flour, add one Tbsp of water at a time until it will gather into a ball. A little goes a long way, so be careful.
If you refrigerate or freeze the dough, bring it to room temperature before rolling. for the most uniform cookies, and definitely for the large sections required for gingerbread houses, roll the dough right onto a large piece of foil or parchment paper, then pick up the sheet and transfer to the cookie sheet.