Vegan Chai Sugar Cookies

0 Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the ground flax with the water, mix well, and let sit for 5 minutes.
1 Cream the Butter: Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and use a hand mixer (or bowl of a stand mixer) to cream them together until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thickened flax seed, vanilla, and cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper to the butter mixture. Mix again until combined.
2 Make the Dough: Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix well with a spatula. Place the dough in the fridge for an hour, up to overnight. This allows the butter to firm up and the flour to absorb the moisture from the dough.
3 Roll: Mix the cane sugar and the cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. Form 2-tablespoon balls of cookie dough, rolling it smooth between your hands. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar, then place each cookie 2” apart on the baking sheet.
4 Bake: Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread and are puffy. Gently drop the cookie sheet on the counter to deflate the cookies. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, to allow them to set.
5 Serve: serve warm, or let the cookies cool before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.