In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended. Add the egg, molasses, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg until all the spices are evenly distributed.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no flour remains. Do not overmix.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 3 hours, or overnight for best results. If chilled overnight, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to roll.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Split the dough into two portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out to 1/4-inch thickness.

Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough and arrange the cookies on lined baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Group cookies of similar size on the same baking sheet for even baking.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time. Bake medium-sized cookies for 8–10 minutes, large cookies for 12–14 minutes, and smaller cookies for 6–8 minutes. Cookies are ready when they gently spring back when touched. Avoid overbaking.

Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, then move to a cooling rack until fully cooled before decorating.