In a 3 qt saucepan over low heat:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c mild molasses
2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Stir until sugars are melted and incorporated..
Remove from heat.
Stir in:
2 tsp baking soda
Mixture will foam up.
Stir in until melted:
1/2 c butter, cut into chunks
Stir in:
1 egg, beaten
Then add:
3 1/2 c flour
Stir in as much as you can.
It will become dry & hard to stir.
There will be excess flour. Don't worry.
Dump all of it onto a lightly floured surface, kneading in most of remaining flour.
Any flour that doesn't knead in, use when rolling to coat the board.
Divide dough in half.
Wrap/ cover half & set aside so it won't dry out.
Preheat oven to 325.
Roll to almost 1/4", use cookie cutters.
If the dough dries out & is to hard to work with, wet your hands with a little water & knead the dough until manageable.
Use a silicone baking mat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake until edges begin to brown, about 12 minutes, depending on size and thickness.
Remove cookies from tray immediately or they will stick.
If cookies do cool to tray, put tray back in oven for a minute.
Cool on wire rack.
Store in tightly covered container (with wax layers between layers) at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or freeze 3 months.
