In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the melted and cooled crisco and egg. Stir well. The dough will crumbly. You’re doing it right.
Pour in the molasses and oats and stir everything together until combined.
Use a large cookie scoop to make tennis ball sized dough balls, placing them 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Now it’s time to flatten out the cookies. Grab two small bowls and fill one with water and one with granulated sugar. Take a flat bottomed glass, dipping the bottom of the glass in the water and then the sugar. Press the sugar coated bottom firmly into the dough ball to flatten it out, leaving behind a thick sugar coating on top of the cookie. This will give the cookies their signature crunch.
Repeat for the rest of the cookies. Bake at 375°F until the edges are golden brown and the centers have puffed up, but are still raw in the middle, about 11 minutes for us.
Allow cookies to sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy!