Heat your oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda, spices and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar, scraping the sides as needed, until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg and molasses and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Roll even tablespoons of dough into balls, toss them in sugar to coat and place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm but they are still soft in the center and there are several large cracks on top, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.