Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Whisk the flour, salt, and spices together in a bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until they’ve just come together.

Add the egg, and mix until incorporated.

Add the molasses, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until incorporated.

Slowly mix in the flour mixture until your dough forms. You may need to remove it from the mixer and knead by hand to get the dough to come together. Sprinkle in more flour bit by bit as needed.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to ¼″ thickness.

Use your cookie cutters to make desired shapes. Re-roll the scraps until there’s not enough dough left to use the cutters.

Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8 minutes.

If you’re not immediately making the cookies, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate (or freeze) until you are ready to use it. Before using, bring to room temperature.

Once cooled, decorate with royal icing and sprinkles as desired.