Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Step 1
Sift flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon into a bowl.

Step 2
Beat molasses, brown sugar, water, and butter in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; stir in flour mixture; mix until a sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours.

Step 3
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 4
Roll out dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut dough into desired shapes with holiday cookie cutters, dipping the cutters into flour as needed so they don't stick to the dough. Transfer gingerbread cookies to ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.

Step 5
Bake in the preheated oven until firm, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.