Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup granulated sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, and the remaining cinnamon. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until fully combined.
Use your hands to roll the dough into balls ~25g each and toss to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place on cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches for spreading. Repeat until all dough is used.
Bake for 5 minutes intervals, then check/rotate and repeat until edges are just set. Be careful not to over bake. Shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes.
While warm and just out of the oven, sprinkle tops of cookies with any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
Let rest on cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
