Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F/177°C.
2. Add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and cream on high-speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and add pumpkin purée, vanilla extract and egg yolk and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once again.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin spice, all-purpose flour, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Roll the dough out in between two large pieces of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes. Use a small 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut each cookie out and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out the dough scraps, freeze and cut out another set of cookies. Place all the cut out cookies into the freezer for 10 minutes. This ensures that the cookies keep their shape.
5. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Espresso Filling

1. In a small bowl, add butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Mix well until you have a smooth, creamy filling. There are two ways to assemble the cookies. You can use a butter knife to spread the chocolate filling or use a sandwich bag/piping bag and pipe the filling onto the cookies. Spread/pipe the chocolate filling onto half the cookies and then top with the other half. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or cool place for up to 1 week.
2. Optional: Drizzle the top of each cookie with white chocolate.