Place the margarine, 1 cup granulated sugar and egg into a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the molasses and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Add this to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or if you need to, overnight.
Roll the dough into 1 ½ tbsp-sized balls, then roll them into the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and space them about 1 inch apart.
Bake at 375F for 6-9 minutes, until the tops are cracked. Cool completely.
Dunk the cookies halfway into the dark or white chocolate and decorate with festive sprinkles. Enjoy!