Mix together the cold water and cornstarch until a cloudy paste forms. Set aside.

Peel and finely chop the apple into small cubes. 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 the 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. Then, set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream the room temperature vegan butter, ½ cup of white sugar, and brown 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.

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

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to 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.

Scoop out 10 evenly sized cookies using a cookie scoop. Roll each cookie dough ball in the reserved sugar.

Place the dough balls onto the baking sheet, slightly press each down, and make an indent in the center of each cookie.

Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the cooled apple pie filling into the center of each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes until the edges are crisp and the centers are set but still gooey. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.