preheat the oven to 350°

line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper, set aside

put the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir to combine, set aside

beat the softened butter and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until it's soft and fluffy, you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer
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once soft and fluffy beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla
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stir the flour into the butter mixture just until mixed in

scoop into 12 cookies, and lay them on the prepared cookie sheets
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use a measuring cup dusted with a little flour and press each ball of cookie dough down until there is an indentation in the middle

bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through

while the cookies bake peel toss the apples with the lemon juice and place in a saucepan along with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and the corn starch

stir the water in and cook over medium heat stirring until cornstarch is dissolved (no lumps left), and then stirring occasionally while the sauce thickens

let the mixture simmer gently until the apples are just tender, then turn off the heat and let the mixture cool off
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when the cookies are done baking remove the cookies sheet from the oven and if you need to press the measuring cup down into the cookies to reset the indentation

let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack

once cool fill with the apple filling

serve immediately or store uncovered for up to 24 hours and then lightly covered after that