Slower Cooker Apple Pie Applesauce: From this to that!

From this:

To that:

What to do with an over abundance of apples? I find myself faced with this question every year after my over-eager husband and kids pick a ton of apples at our favorite apple orchard. My favorite recipe is simple, easy, and needs few ingredients and the kids love it. I call it Slow Cooker Apple Pie Applesauce. My husband says it's like eating the insides of an apple pie, and it freezes well so we can save some for Hanukkah. I use a hand cranked apple peeler, corer, and slicer which doubles as entertainment for the kids. They love watching the peel come off the apple in a single long streamer and fall neatly into the trashcan below. Carly was at school when I made this batch of applesauce, but the video above show Ethan's enthusiasm for the process.

Slow Cooker Apple Pie Applesauce

8 apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 cup water
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine the apples, water, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a slow cooker; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice; continue cooking another 30 minutes. Stir, mixture and enjoy chunky style or process in a food proccesor until smooth.