This is the recipe I use for my gingerbread. I like it for a few reasons. It's easy, I always have the ingredients in the larder, and it's not too 'spicy gingerbready'. The quantities given here give enough dough to make the house, plus some left over for some biccies.
Ginger Spice Biscuits
250g butter
6oz brown sugar
1 egg yolk
500g plain (all purpose) flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or cardomom if you prefer)
****
preheat oven to 225°c and prepare baking trays
cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Mix well.Add flour and spices to mixture and mix to form a stiff dough.
Roll dough on floured surface and cut into shapes desired. Place on baking trays and bake for 12 - 15 minutes.
Allow to cool, then decorate.
:O)
I will say something about this recipe. It's nice for children to have as it is a gentle flavoured biscuit, not too spicy or rich. If you prefer more flavour, then add more ginger or cinnamon. The other thing I must mention is how heavy the dough gets. I got this recipe from a book, but I always add something extra that isn't included in the original recipe, and that's milk. When the flour goes in, it gets very dry, so I splash in milk to keep it at a good consistency. I use my mixer to combine the ingredients for me, but once it's nicely mixed I switch it off and knead it with my hands. I'd rather do that than break my precious mixer ~ you have been warned!
I pop the dough into a plastic bag, and leave in the fridge until I want to start baking.
*this post was originally written on the 3rd December, 2008*
I've finally finished my gingerbread house. Elizabeth asked if I had any tips on making them, I'm no expert so I thought I'd just show you how I make mine. I have to say that I don't think it's as good as the one I made last year, but quite frankly I cannot be bothered to start again, so it will have to do. I'd planned to decorate it earlier this morning, but after doing some housework, trying to resolve a problem with an internet order, and having my Mum pop round, I only had half an hour to get it done. Which isn't enough time really. The house was ready for decorating yesterday morning, but time slipped away.
Anyway, here are pictures taken Monday night and then earlier today.
Make your gingerbread dough, then cut out and bake. I use the same recipe each year for no other reason than it works for me, and it's become a bit of a tradition. If you need an easy and basic template, then use [this one]. It's the one I use, and not too big, but not too small. Once you've baked your biscuit pieces then leave them to cool completely, and gather all your bits and pieces needed to put them together. (You can see yet another of my alternative uses for oversized teacups. I use them as small mixing bowls)
Mix up some icing sugar with water to make a thick but not too thick paste. I don't weigh it out or anything, I just put a generous amount of icing sugar in my teacup and mix with small drops of water until I get the consistency I want. I always use boxes or tins of beans or soup to shore up the walls until the icing has set hard enough for them to stand unaided. I spread the icing glue into the space inside the house, and stick sweeties along the inside for added strength.
Take your time, and don't rush. When the walls are set nicely, you can add the roof. One side at a time, and hold it in place until it's set enough to not slide down when you let go. It shouldn't take too long for the icing to set, and if you don't have time to hold the roof half in place, find a tin or a box the right height to do the job for you. Carefully glue the second part of the roof in place. The pattern used doesn't include this, but I always make a little chimney to put on the roof. It's pretty easy to make, just cut four rectangles the same size, but cut out to inverted 'V's' on two of the pieces, then bake. Glue them together in the same way as the house, and when it's set enough, glue onto the roof.Be patient and leave to dry overnight. Next morning you'll have a good and strong house to decorate.
For decorations you can do whatever you want, and use whatever you like. Ready made tubes of icing are ideal for speed and ease. I always make more of the icing sugar/water mix, making it slightly looser so it can trickle down to look like melting snow. When it drips off the corners of the roof it looks just like icicles hanging down. Last year I threw dessicated coconut in the wet icing, which I thought looked pretty. This year I've used white sanding sugar to add sparkle. I like to keep my sweeties in pinks and greens. But you don't have to use sweeties, you can buy ready moulded cake decorations, which works really well. I wanted to buy some this year (because I used them last year and thought they looked so good I wanted to do it again), but I didn't see any at the time I wanted them. Lollipops make great trees. I've used minty balls as for my snowman. A final dusting of icing sugar through a tea strainer gives a fresh fallen snow effect. 
I think my favourite parts are the snowman, and the little footprints leading up to the door. I used my the tube of black ready made icing that I had left over from my Pumpkin birthday cake. I cut sweeties and used to stamp the colour to make footprints in the snow. 
Ok. I think that's all I have to say on making gingerbread houses. It just takes time, patience, and a bit of imagination. I'm actually a bit stupid to try and make them when I really don't have time to sit and work on them, but I want Georgeous Girl to remember me always making her a gingerbread house at Christmastime.