Gingerbread Cookies

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Melt the honey base

   In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar and honey, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Don't let it boil.

2. 02

   Step 2: Add spices and soda

   Take off the heat, add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt and stir; the mixture will foam and lighten. Cool for 10–15 minutes until just warm.

3. 03

   Step 3: Make the dough

   Beat in the egg, then work in the flour in batches. The dough will be soft and a little sticky; it firms up in the fridge. Divide in two, flatten into discs, wrap and chill for at least an hour.

4. 04

   Step 4: Cut out the shapes

   Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to 4 mm thick and stamp out shapes. Transfer to lined baking sheets 2 cm apart; gather, chill and re-roll the scraps.

5. 05

   Step 5: Bake the cookies

   Bake for 8–10 minutes, until slightly darker at the edges and dry on top. They're soft when hot, so leave them on the tray for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.

6. 06

   Step 6: Make the icing

   Stir the egg white with the powdered sugar and lemon juice, then beat with a mixer for 3–4 minutes into a thick white icing that holds its shape. Keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't crust.

7. 07

   Step 7: Decorate and dry

   Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a fine nozzle, or a sturdy bag with a tiny corner snipped off, and decorate the cookies. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours until the icing is completely set.