Make the cookies

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cardamom, and orange zest. (Adding the zest to the dry ingredients keeps it from clumping in the dough.) Save the orange for the icing.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times, until light and fluffy.
3. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses, mixing just until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a smooth disk about 1½ inches thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk to ¼ inch thick. Dip your cutters in flour and cut out the cookies, then re-roll the scraps and cut again until you've used all the dough. Repeat with the second disk. Place the cookies close together on a lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
7. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
8. Arrange the chilled cookies on the sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size, until slightly firm to the touch but still soft in the center. Cool for a few minutes on the sheets, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

DECORATING THE LLAMA COOKIES

Decorate the llamas

Option 1: Royal icing (piped "wool" and faces)

1. Place the coconut in a shallow bowl.
2. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the egg white and 2 tablespoons of the reserved orange juice until smooth and glossy, and the icing flows from the whisk in a smooth ribbon. If it's too thick, add more orange juice 1 teaspoon at a time. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Outline each llama's body, leaving the legs, neck, and face bare, then fill in the outline with icing.
4. While the icing is still wet, gently press the iced side into the coconut so it sticks. Repeat until all the llamas are flocked, then go back and pipe on faces with the remaining icing, if you like.
5. Let the cookies set on a wire rack for at least a few hours before serving.

Option 2: Simple dip icing (quicker)

1. Make the icing as in Option 1, leaving out the egg white.
2. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing and let the excess drip off, leaving a thin coat. While the icing is still wet, dip the iced part of the cookie into the coconut so it's fully covered.
3. Let the cookies set on a wire rack for at least a few hours before serving.