Haunted Gingerbread House

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
• 0.3 cup shortening 
• 0.8 cup blackstrap molasses 
• 0.3 cup water cold
• 3.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 serving m&m candies assorted
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar 
• 0.3 cup butter softened
• 0.3 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon milk 
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square pan and 15x10x1-inch rectangular pan. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, shortening and molasses until well blended. Stir in cold water. Stir in remaining gingerbread ingredients except candies. Press one-third of dough into square pan; press remaining dough into rectangular pan.
2. Bake 1 pan at a time about 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in center. Cool 5 minutes; turn upside down onto large cutting surface. Immediately cut house (and windows if desired), supports, doors and fence. (See link below for diagram.) Cool completely, about 25 minutes.
3. In medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the powdered sugar and remaining frosting ingredients until smooth. Stir in enough remaining powdered sugar to make stiff frosting. (If frosting becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk.)
4. Decorate front of house as desired using frosting and assorted candies and cookies. For windows as shown in photo, cut yellow tissue paper slightly larger than outline of windows.
5. Brush paper with vegetable oil and "glue" to back side of windows, using frosting. Use frosting to attach supports to back of house, sidewalk to front of house, door and sign to front of house and fence to sidewalk. Complete decorating as desired.