1. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar: In another large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the wet ingredients: Mix in molasses, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Combine the dough: Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
5. Chill the dough: Divide into two discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Roll and cut: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
8. Bake: Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 8–10 minutes, until edges are set but centers are slightly soft.
9. Cool and decorate: Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack. Decorate once fully cooled.

Icing

1. Mix icing: In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if too thick, or more powdered sugar if too thin.
2. Adjust consistency: For piping details, keep the icing thicker. For flooding (filling in shapes), thin with a bit more milk.
3. Decorate: Spoon icing into a piping bag or a plastic bag with the tip snipped off. Decorate cooled cookies and let icing set before storing.
4. Optional gloss: Stir in light corn syrup for a shinier, smoother finish.