Mix the flour with the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt. Mix. Finely chop the crystallized ginger and add to the flour mixture. Mix and break up any clumps of ginger.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the molasses and fresh ginger and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar and molasses mixture and mix well. Cover the dough and refrigerate 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mat.
Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, roll into round balls and roll in coarse sugar. Place on a 2 parchment lined baking sheets 1.5" apart and return to the fridge until ready to bake.
Place the prepared and chilled dough in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or just until the surface cracks even if the cookies are still puffy and look under baked. Remove from the oven and let cool completely (or at least 10 minutes) on the baking sheet before placing them on a cooling rack. Cool completely and let the cookies rest before transferring them to an airtight container.
Notes
You can reduce the amount of crystallized ginger to 1/4 C for less spicy cookies.Recipe adapted from Will Cook For Friends