Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, and molasses in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Beat until creamy and well combined.

Stir in egg, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt and stir until well combined. Mixture may look piecey/separated, this is fine.

Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until all ingredients are combined and dough is smooth and cohesive. Dough will be stiff.

Drop dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and divide into two discs. Working with one half at a time, use a rolling pin to roll to ¼” (.6cm) thickness.

Use a pizza cutter, sharp knife, or any straight edge to cut shapes out of dough. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer pieces to prepared baking sheets, spacing pieces at least 2” (5cm) apart. If you have extra dough, cut out gingerbread men or trees for decorating!

Bake in center rack of a 375F (190C) oven for 13-14 minutes (check at 11 minutes if making small houses). Pieces will be turning slightly darker around the edges when they are close to done. Note that house pieces will still be soft when warm, but will harden as they cool. Let cool completely before building your house. Chimney note: The chimney will cook much faster than the other house pieces, I bake mine on the same sheet as the other pieces but set a timer for 5-7 minutes and remove the chimney early, otherwise it will burn.

Allow pieces to cool completely before assembling with royal icing.

For the icing

In the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, meringue powder, and water. Use whisk attachment to mix on low speed until combined.

Once ingredients are combined, add vanilla extract and gradually increase mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form (this will likely take 5 minutes or longer.) When icing is ready, it should look billowy and almost fluffy, not dense and pasty.

If coloring icing, separate into smaller bowl and mix in color until evenly incorporated.

Assembly

Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, or you can simply cut off the tip of the bag (you could also use a butter knife to spread along the edges). Assemble your house by lining the edges with icing and pressing two pieces together. Hold for several seconds until the pieces stay together. Repeat with each piece. It’s also helpful to have a base, like a cake platter, for the house, and to use the icing to cement the pieces to the base.

Decorate with colored icing and various candies. Allow house to sit for several hours for house to be completely stable.