Soft Gingerbread Cookies

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and unsulfured molasses on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the large egg and vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.

With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a cohesive dough forms.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Cover each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. This step is crucial for making the dough easier to handle and preventing excessive spreading during baking.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of chilled dough at a time to about ¼-inch thickness. If the dough starts to crack, cover it and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to soften slightly.

Dip cookie cutters of your choice in flour to prevent sticking, and cut out as many shapes as possible. Carefully transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Reroll the dough scraps once and cut out more shapes.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place your chosen icing (royal icing or easy sugar cookie icing) in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, or snip the tip off a plastic bag.

Pipe decorations onto the cooled cookies with the icing. While the icing is still wet, add sprinkles or candies for extra visual interest.

Let the decorated cookies sit until the icing is completely dry, which can take 1 to 2 hours.