Step 1

Making it by hand - In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the butter, egg and vanilla. Mix with a fork until almost combined, move to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead just until the dough is well combined and soft, don't over knead. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

Step 2

Making it with a food processor or mixer - In the food processor/mixer add the butter and sugar pulse to combine or mix with the flat beater a few times, add the egg and vanilla, combine until smooth, add the flour mixture pulse/beat a few times until almost combined. Move to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead until the dough is well combined and soft (this won't take long). Wrap in plastic or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3

While the dough is in the fridge prepare the filling, in a medium pot add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and diced apples, mix together and cook on low to medium heat for 5 minutes, cover and cook for another 5 minutes,, stirring the mixture occasionally and watch that it doesn’t burn, gently squish with a fork, leaving the diced apples slightly chunky rather than mushy. If the apples are not tender and the mixture hasn't thickened, continue to cook on low for another 5 minutes uncovered, until the apples are soft and tender. Remove from heat and let cool completely. If you find the mixture too thick then you can add a tablespoon or 2 of maple syrup to thin it.

Step 4

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Step 5

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll dough out on a floured flat surface to 1/8 inch / 2 mm (or a little thicker if you prefer) cut with a round cookie cutter approximately 28 circles (2 1/4 inch / 6 cm size), place 14 circles on the prepared cookie sheet, place a heaping teaspoon of apple filling on each circle, gently spread the filling, be sure not to go over the edge, cover with another circle and close the edges with a fork, I lightly wet my fingers and closed the edges, wetting the edges helps to keep the cookies closed while baking. Brush with a little milk and then sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar, bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, let cool 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely or eat warm. Enjoy!

Step 6

In a small bowl mixture together the sugar and ground cinnamon.