Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies

First, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing together the cold water and cornstarch until a cloudy paste forms. Set aside.
Add the butter to a saucepan and melt over low heat. Once bubbling, add in the chopped pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir together and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Once bubbling, add in the cornstarch slurry and mix together. Continue cooking over low heat for 2-3 minutes until it thickens and becomes glossy. Then, set aside to cool while you make the cookie dough.

To make the dough, add the room temperature vegan butter, ½ cup of white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Next, 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, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure to add the flour first and then add the other ingredients on top. Mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms. The dough will start off crumbly, so keep mixing it until soft.
Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and add the bowl to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes- 1 hour. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

About 10 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and use a cookie scoop to scoop out 11 evenly sized cookies. Roll each cookie dough ball between your palms to form a round ball. Then, roll each ball in a bowl with the 2 tablespoon of sugar that was set aside so that each dough ball is coated in sugar.
Place the cinnamon cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet. Then, slightly press each dough ball down with your palm.
Use your thumb to make an indent in the center of each cookie and then use your fingers to spread the dough out and make the indent larger. Then, spoon about ½ Tablespoon of the cooled pecan pie filling into the center of each cookie.
Once filled, make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart on the baking tray as they will spread while baking. Then, add the tray to the oven and bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until the edges are crisp and the centers are set but still gooey.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. If needed use a spoon to push the edges of the cookies into a rounder shape while they are still warm. Then, move the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Once cooled, enjoy these pecan pie cookies!

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