Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Mix until thoroughly incorporated - about one minute.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds.
Add the eggs slowly and mix. Scrape down the sides oft he bowl at least once and mix again.
Add the vanilla bean seeds and extract. Stir briefly.
Sift the salt and flour together in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture: fold in with a spoon then mix on low speed for 30 seconds or when the dough clumps around the paddle attachment. Do not over mix the dough or it will be tough!
Roll the dough out between two large pieces of parchment paper - should be about 3/8 of an inch for sides of the house and 1/4-inch for the roof.
Place on one or two baking sheets and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough further if you need to, cut into your building components (use a template from online or create your own) using your guides.
Reroll any scrapes and cut into shapes/designs.
Put the dough shapes back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again. They will hold shape much better as they bake with this second chill.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the cookie shapes for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is cooked through (baking time may vary on your piece sizes so watch as needed).
Let the cookies cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before assembling. Hint: use a fine type zester to shape or correct any pieces or to plane edges for a more flush fit.
Icing/"Cookie Glue"
Combine the sugar and cream of tarter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in the egg whites and beat with the whisk attachment until thick and white, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. If you want to make your mortar colorful, divide the mixture into separate bowls and add desired food coloring (liquid gel works great).
Add 1/2 tsp water to thin if needed.
Assembly
Place your Icing/"Cookie Glue" in a piping bag and use it to attach your cookie components together. Decorate with candies, nuts, edible flowers, sprinkles, other cookies, etc!
