• Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt & baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine butter & sugar. Beat on high until light & fluffy.
• Add in eggs, molasses & vanilla & beat until combined.
• Lower the mixer to the lowest speed & slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal balls, slightly flattening them into 1″ thick disks.
• Wrap each disk in plastic wrap & refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, but it is best to chill overnight.
• Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment & set aside.
• Unwrap one dough disk & use a rolling pin to roll out on a flat, lightly floured surface.
• Once the dough is approximately 1/8″ thick, use your cookie cutter to cut your shapes. Reroll the dough as needed to continue cutting out more cookies.
• Transfer cutouts to the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just crisp around the edges & slightly on top. The longer you bake, the crispier they will be.
• Remove from the oven & allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
• Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, they are ready for decorating.

For the icing

• Whisk the confectioner’s sugar, milk & vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or plastic squeeze bottle & pipe onto the cookies as desired.