In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg until well blended.
Add molasses, vanillaand continue to mix until well blended.
Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Return refrigerated dough to room temp before using.
Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
Roll dough to 1/4-inch thick.
Cut out cookies with desired cutter.
Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart on parchment.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes.
Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
Decorate after completely cool.
Notes
Gingerbread men are a holiday classic — it doesn't feel like Christmas if you don't decorate at least one! Gingerbread has been around a very long time, and gingerbread men specifically have an interesting history. According to Carole Levin, director of the medieval studies program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of The Reign of Elizabeth I, they date back Queen Elizabeth I's 16th-century reign. During that time, the royal family was known for elaborate dinners that included marzipan shaped like fruit, castles, and birds, and the Queen also had a royal gingerbread maker who created gingerbread men to represent foreign dignitaries and people in her court. At the same time, folk-medicine practitioners, AKA witches and magicians, prescribed them as "love tokens" for young women to help men fall in love with them.