• Sift flour, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt into a medium bowl.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes Add in the molasses, then the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
• With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture gradually until a nice dough forms.

  Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of chilled dough at a time to about ¼-inch in thickness.

  Dip the cookie cutter shapes of your choice in flour and cut out as many as you can. Carefully transfer each cutout to a baking sheet, leaving an inch between them.
• Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to let cool.

  Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. ENJOY!

Decorate Cookies

• In a medium bowl, stir together the icing ingredients until smooth. To thicken the icing more add powdered sugar, to thin it out, add more milk. Transfer to a piping bag with a small hole, zip bag, or squeeze bottle to decorate the cooled cookies with icing. HAVE FUN! Let the icing set and harden before storing.