Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a mini muffin tin by greasing it with butter (or your favourite baking spray).
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer (or use a hand mixer if you prefer) and beat on high until creamy and smooth.
Beat in the egg and molasses on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until it's all incorporated.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
Roll the dough into small balls (just under 1 tablespoon each), dip in the white sugar and place in the mini muffin cups. Press your thumb into the cookie balls to spread the cookies slightly into the mini muffin cups (don't worry about this too much - you can re-shape them after baking while they're hot!).
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
While the cookies are hot from the oven, press the back of a teaspoon into the top of each cookie to create a cup shape.
Let the cookie cups cool completely in the mini muffin cups before removing. This will help them keep their shape.