Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Position the oven rack in the middle. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside when finished.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, vegetable shortening, molasses, and the egg.
Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, on medium speed.
Add the flour to the sugar mixture. Mix until combined on low speed, about 1-2 minutes, until no flour streaks remain.
Put ¼ cup of granulated sugar into a pie plate. Scoop the cookie dough using a 1 ½ teaspoon scoop. Roll the cookie dough into balls between your hands. Set the dough balls into the pie plate and shake gently to cover the dough in sugar.
Set the dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move them to a wire rack to cool completely.