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Note to those with sensitivities: The frosting includes raw egg whites. If preferred you can use another type of frosting.
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Day 1: Make the dough. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
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In your mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and lemon peel, and beat until well blended.
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Stir in the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time, and mix until well blended and smooth. Divide the dough into four parts, wrapping each part in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
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Day 2: Make the cookies. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease several cookie sheets.
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Roll out one part of the dough at a time on a floured board, to about 1/8 inch thick. The dough gets very sticky, so keep the remaining sections of dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to roll it out.
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Use cookie cutters that are about 2 to 3 inches in diameter to cut out cookies. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
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Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the trays from the oven and move cookies onto a wire rack to cool.
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For the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use (to prevent drying out).
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To decorate: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a number 3 or number 4 small tip for writing with frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the top of the cookies, following the outline of the cookies.
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Allow frosting to dry, and store in a covered tin.
