Make the cornstarch slurry by mixing together the cold water and cornstarch until a cloudy paste forms. Set aside.

Peeled and finely chop your apple into small cubes. Then, add the apple to a saucepan with the brown sugar, vegan butter, lemon juice, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix together and cook over medium heat until the butter melts and mixture starts bubbling.

Once bubbling, add in the cornstarch slurry and mix together. Continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until it thickens and becomes glossy. Set aside to cool while you make the cookie dough.

Add room temperature vegan butter, ½ cup of white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Add the flax egg and vanilla bean paste to the bowl and mix together for about 30 seconds.

Add in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms.

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and add the bowl to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes-1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper about 10 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge.

Remove the dough from the fridge and use a cookie scoop to scoop out 10 evenly sized cookies. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar.

Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet and slightly press each dough ball down with your palm.

Make an indent in the center of each cookie and spoon about 1 Tablespoon of the cooled apple pie filling into the center.

Ensure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart on the baking tray. Bake for 14-16 minutes until edges are crisp.

Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.