Prepare the Gingerbread Dough

1. Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.
3. Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. You should have a thick, smooth dough.
4. Chill the Dough: Divide the dough into two discs, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking and makes rolling out easier.

Roll Out the Dough

1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Roll Out the Dough: Once the dough is chilled, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4-inch thick. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour on top.
3. Cut Out Shapes: Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading.
4. Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly firm and the cookies are golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate the Cookies

1. Make the Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
2. Decorate: Once the cookies have cooled, use the icing to decorate. You can pipe the icing onto the cookies in fun patterns, add sprinkles, or even use candies to create faces or buttons.
3. Let the Icing Set: Allow the icing to set before serving or packaging the cookies.