150g honey
100g granulated sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)
2 tsp baking soda
130g unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 egg
400-450g flour
1. Put honey, sugar, and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and add baking soda, stir (the mixture will foam and increase).
3. Add butter gradually and stir. Add egg and stir.
4. Add sifted flour and knead the dough (hand mixer with hook attachments used in video). Form a ball.
5. Roll out the dough 5mm thick between two sheets of parchment or silicone mats. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes-1 an hour.
6. Cut out the cookies and transfer them to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
7. Bake at 350F/175C for 10 minutes.
Chinese ginger bread cookie recipes were developed during the 10th century
and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version of gingerbread.
The hard cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf and shaped like animals, kings
and queens, were a staple at Medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany.