In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
Next, add the molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well combined.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, until totally combined.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare your baking sheets by lining with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Place one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface (I use my countertops). Lightly flour the dough ball, as well as your rolling pin. Roll the dough out evenly until 1/4-inch thick. Use additional flour as needed to avoid sticking. Cut out your cookies with your favorite cookie cutters- I prefer snowflakes because they're fun to decorate.
Place the cookies onto your prepared cookie sheet, spaced with at least 1" in between. Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes... the lower the bake time equals softer cookies. I like to take the cookies out BEFORE they begin to crack on top.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the sheet until they are firm enough to move to a wire cooling rack.
Once the cookies are cool, decorate them however you'd like with your favorite royal icing recipe!
