Favorite Gingerbread Cookies

I love making gingerbread cookies for Christmas.  I discovered this recipe several years ago on Recipezaar (now called Food.com--whatever), and have found it to be the best for making cutout gingerbread cookies.  This time I didn't have all of the spices it called for so I changed the recipe a little bit to compensate for that.  I think they turned out even better!
Original spice list: ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves (1 tsp of each)
My spice list:  cinnamon, garam masala (the Indian spice blend), nutmeg, ginger, and cocoa powder

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp garam masala 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 cups flour plus more for dusting

In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala and salt.  Stir constantly until it comes to a boil.  Immediately remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.  The mixture will become light and foamy; next, stir in the butter, mixing until it melts.  With a fork, stir in the egg and then the cocoa powder.  In 3 - 4 doses, add the flour to slowly incorporate it into a dough.  Dust a work space with a little bit of flour and dump the dough out, using your hands to knead it into a ball.  If the dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour and continue to knead.  

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Divide the dough into two pieces and work with one at a time.  To make rolling out the dough a lot easier, put a big piece of plastic wrap over the dough.  This keeps the rolling pin from getting dirty and sticking to the dough.  Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness.  Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut into shapes, and repeat the rolling process for the excess cutout dough.  Bake the cookies for 8 - 10 minutes.  If you like them crisp then keep them in longer!  I like to decorate with royal icing, and Alton Brown has an easy recipe on Food Network's website (Royal Icing recipe).  I've successfully made 1/3 of the recipe since it makes a TON of icing.  Make sure the cookies are cool before icing them.  Happy Holidays!!