Whisk flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cloves, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a large mixing bowl

Cream the butter and 2/3 cup sugar together in a separate bowl until smooth, for about 2 minutes. Add the candied ginger, molasses, vanilla, and egg. Whisk until well blended.

Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture and mix just until the flour disappears. Cover dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour 1/2 cup sugar in a small shallow dish for rolling cookies.

Form dough into 1 1/2 teaspoon balls, then roll in the sugar before placing on the lined baking sheet.

Flatten the cookies to about 1/4 inch thick. (I like to cover the cookie with a small piece of parchment or plastic wrap and then flatten with the bottom of a 1/4 cup measuring cup. The plastic or paper helps keep the cookie from sticking to whatever you use to flatten it). I have also tried rolling out the dough 1/4 inch thick to cut out gingersnap people with a cookie cutter. Dough will soften up if you do this, so rechill as needed.

Sprinkle cookies with a pinch of sugar before baking in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. (Less time for a chewier cookie, more time for a snappier cookie)

Once cookies are cooled, you can decorate with icing if desired, but they really don't need anything and are delicious on their own!