Nuts about gingerbread: Gingerbread village centrepiece 

MAKES 1

1 x quantity basic gingerbread dough (see recipe page below)

white sugar, for decorating

★ Preheat oven to 140C/gas 1. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of nonstick baking paper to 5mm thick. Refrigerate until firm. Using the templates (see panel below), cut out 1 large house, 1 medium house and 3 small houses from the dough. Place the houses on 2 large lightly greased baking trays lined with nonstick baking paper and freeze for 15 minutes.

★ While the houses are freezing, reroll the dough and, using assorted snowflake cutters, cut out snowflakes with the excess dough. Place on a large lightly greased baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

★ Remove the houses from the freezer and, using lollypop sticks or a blunt knife, draw on rectangular windows. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until dry to the touch. Allow to cool completely on the trays. Fill a tray (or bowl) with sugar and arrange the houses and snowflakes in the sugar (alternatively, you can suspend the snowflakes decoratively as desired).

YOUR HOUSE TEMPLATES

Small house: 8cm wide; 12cm high (including 5cm roof).

Medium house: 6cm wide; 15.5cm high (including 3.5cm roof).

Large house: 10cm wide; 20cm high (including 6cm roof).

Visit donnahay.com.au for printable templates.