Ingredients 

For the gingerbread cookies:

• 75 g brown sugar
• 40 g honey
• 50 g butter
• 175 g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 small egg
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• hazelnuts, to decorate

For the icing:

• 25 g egg white
• 115 g sifted powdered sugar
• 2 drops white vinegar
• red food colouring

Method

Make the gingerbread cookies:

• Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat until melted. Tip in the sugar and honey and stir until dissolved.
• Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the spices in a bowl, then stir in the egg and the melted butter mix.
• Put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Roll out the dough to 4 mm thick and stamp out little gingerbread men.
• Lift the cut out gingerbread men onto the baking sheets and place a hazelnut between the arms, then carefully fold them inwards.
• Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, put on wire racks and leave to cool.

Make the icing:

• Mix the egg white with 75 g of the sugar for 10 to 15 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.
• Add the drops of white vinegar and the rest of the sugar and mix for another 10 minutes.
• Put half of the icing in a small mixing bowl and add a few drops of the red food colouring, stir in until you get the desired colour.
• Decorate with the icing: pipe 2 red dots for buttons and a white smiley face.