In a large bowl, mix sugar, butter, molasses, egg, and applesauce with a hand mixer.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Scoop with a cookie scoop then roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in white sugar.
Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. (While a batch is baking, cover and place the remaining dough in the fridge to chill so it's easier to scoop and roll.) Cookies will puff and then flatten. Cool on a wire rack.
Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.