• Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Then, mix in the molasses and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients on low speed, mixing until a soft dough forms.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight if time permits.
• Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to ½ inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes desired.
• Place the cut-out cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool for 5 to 7 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to allow the baked cookies to fully cool.

Royal Icing:

• Add the powdered sugar to your stand mixer. In a small bowl add corn syrup, meringue powder, water, and clear vanilla extract and mix.
• Slowly add the mixture to the powdered sugar and mix on low for 15 seconds and then medium to high speed for 5 minutes. Slowly adjust the consistency of the royal icing by slowly adding a teaspoon of water at a time.
• Divide the royal icing into medium-sized bowls and add gel food coloring. Place the icing into a piping bag and then plastic wrap the remaining royal icing to prevent skin from forming on the royal icing.
• Decorate as desired with sprinkles and candies. Allow the cookies to fully dry before enjoying them!