Gluten-free gingerbread cookies: 400 g gluten-free flour and honey dough rests overnight

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Melt the honey and butter

   20 min

   Heat the honey, butter, and 120 g powdered sugar in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes together. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool until lukewarm; a hot mixture would curdle the eggs.

2. Make the dough

   10 min

   Mix the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and gingerbread spice in a bowl. Add the lukewarm honey mixture and 2 eggs, and work into a smooth, soft dough. Gluten-free dough is stickier than wheat dough at first; do not add flour, as it will firm up after resting.

3. Let the dough rest

   8 hr

   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. During this time, the gluten-free flour absorbs the liquid so the dough can be rolled out without tearing.

4. Roll out and cut

   30 min

   Preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, divide it into 3 portions, and roll each portion between two sheets of parchment paper to about 4 mm thick. Cut out shapes about 5 cm across and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 cm apart. Gather the scraps and roll them out again.

5. Bake

   25 min

   Brush the cookies with beaten egg and bake for 7–8 minutes, until dry on top and light brown underneath; baking them longer will make them hard. Let cool on the baking sheet, as they break easily while warm. Bake the remaining batches the same way.

6. Make the icing

   10 min

   Mix the pasteurized egg white with the sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice until the icing is thick, glossy, and holds its shape. The icing is not heated, so use pasteurized egg white rather than raw egg white.

7. Decorate

   30 min

   Fill a piping bag with a small opening with the icing, and decorate the cooled cookies with dots and lines.

8. Let the icing dry

   3 hr

   Leave the decorated cookies uncovered at room temperature until the icing is dry.

9. Store

   Place the cookies in a cookie tin, add a slice of apple, and close the tin. The cookies will soften within 2–3 days; replace the apple after one day. They will keep in a cool place for about 3 weeks.

Tip: For anyone with celiac disease, use flour, baking soda, and gingerbread spice labeled gluten-free, and a clean work surface, rolling pin, and baking sheets with no wheat flour residue. Gluten-free blends absorb different amounts of liquid; if the dough crumbles after resting, work in a tablespoon of honey.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Bezlepkové medovníky: cesto zo 400 g bezlepkovej múky a medu necháte cez noc odpočinúť