Gingerbread cookies for a gingerbread house

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 55 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 55 g of confectionery shortening at room temperature
• 0.5 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 0.5 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Prepare gingerbread dough.
   
   Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and tip out any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
4. Meanwhile, make templates for the gingerbread house..
   
   Take several sheets of heavy paper; a manila folder works best. For the side walls of the house, cut a rectangle measuring 10 x 17.5 cm. For the front and back walls of a house with a peaked roof, draw a template that is 15 cm wide at the base, 10 cm high to the roof line, and 11 cm at an angle to the roof apex. The template for the roof panels should be 11 x 20 cm.
5. Roll out and cut the gingerbread.
   
   Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll the dough and cut it into 3 equal pieces (using a pizza wheel is easiest). Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the remaining pieces in the refrigerator, roll the dough into a rectangle 0.3-0.5 cm thick. Cut out the front and back of the house using the template and collect the scraps.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces, cutting out 2 roof pieces and 2 side wall pieces. If the dough becomes too soft while working, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before continuing. Bake regular cookies with the dough scraps. Place the cut out dough on baking sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
   
7. Bake gingerbread cookies.
   
   Bake the gingerbread cookies until almost set (the center will still be a little soft), 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer the gingerbread house pieces to a wire rack to cool completely. Assemble the gingerbread house and decorate as desired.