Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Adjust the oven rack to the middle as you will only bake on sheet at a time.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

Put 3/4 cup of sugar in another bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing stand with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the shortening. Slowly beat in 2 cups of sugar. Do this by small spoonfuls and beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs and molasses until well blended. Then slowly, by large spoonfuls, beat in the flour mixture until just blended. The batter will be very soft, and that's okay.

Make 1" balls from the batter and roll in the sugar in the bowl. Then place them on the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Once you have filled a baking sheet, use a glass with a floured bottom to gently press down each cookie--just a bit, not all the way to the pan. They will spread the rest of the way on their own.

Bake for 12-16 minutes, depending on how chewy or hard you like your cookies. Remove the tray from the oven and rest on a baking rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 8 minutes before removing them to another baking rack. Bake 1 rack at a time, repeating this process until all the dough is used up.

Sift the confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. Stir in enough milk to make a stiff icing, not too thin but not too thick. Frost the cookies at will, using a knife or a pastry bag.

You can also color the frosting with your choice of food colorings.