1-First, place the 5.5 pounds of chopped apples into the slow cooker. In a separate bowl, mix together the 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, then pour this over the apples and stir well to combine everything evenly.

2-Cook the mixture covered on low heat for 10 hours, letting the apples soften and the flavors meld into a rich base. Once done, puree the mixture until smooth using an immersion blender or by blending in batches with a regular blender for safety and ease.

3-Add the scraped vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, then cook uncovered on low heat for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally until it thickens to your liking. This step concentrates the flavors and gives that spreadable texture, with the whole process taking about 12 hours and 15 minutes total.