Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and adjust rack to middle. You’ll need to bake one cookie sheet at a time to get the best “crackling.” Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place about 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow container.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, pepper, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown sugar and the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. If using a hand mixer, beat a bit longer.

Reduce to low and beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Beat in the molasses until fully incorporated, scraping down as needed. With mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture until almost fully combined, about 20 seconds. Finish by hand. The dough will be very soft.

Working with enough dough at a time to make about four balls, roll into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2″ in diameter balls. Place in sugar. Toss to coat. (Optional: Reform into ball shape and gently reroll in sugar.) Transfer to parchment lined sheets, leaving  2 inches between them. The cookies have a lot of “spread” in the oven. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are beginning to set around edges and tops are cracked but still puffy and beginning to crack, about 10 minutes. Rotate sheet halfway through. The cookies will seem underdone in the center, and the inside of the cookie will appear raw in the cracked areas. This is how you want them – do not overbake – they will continue to cook once removed from the oven.

Cool on baking sheet for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:

• The right temperature for the butter is pretty important to this recipe. I remove from the fridge the night before and set out at a cool room temperature. Butter should be able to bend without cracking or smooshing. See photo below.
• You’ll have extra sugar which should be discarded if not sifted and used in another recipe immediately. Having rolled the raw cookie dough in the sugar, it is not safe to store. Be stingy with the amount if using an expensive sugar like a sanding sugar. It’s better to have to add more sugar to the container than waste excess.