Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.

Add the sorghum syrup, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Stir until the mixture looks glossy and uniform.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.

If your kitchen is warm, cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes until it firms up slightly.

Pour the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Scoop the dough into 1.5-tablespoon portions using a #40 cookie scoop, roll each into a ball, then roll in granulated sugar to coat well.

Place dough balls on the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 5 cm / 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops have crackled. The centers will still look slightly underdone - that's correct.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool.