Cheatastic Apple Pie Filling

I picked too many apples and don't feel like peeling them all. What to do?

Ingredients:

Initial

6 Apples, quartered and cored (a variety of types is best)
1/3 cup cider or apple juice
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar (to taste, I don't use much since the apples I used are pretty sweet)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice (to taste - balances out the sweetness, use less with tart apples and more with sweet)
a dash or two of salt


Thickening
1/4 cup cold water
2 tbsp corn starch


The trick to not peeling apples is to shred them up pretty fine, skins and all. I do this in a food processor for a few seconds, until I get small bits, but not puree. About the same consistency as a coarse coleslaw.

Combine the initial ingredients in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook until the apple bits are softened, about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, stir the thickening ingredients together in a cup until there are no lumps and the texture is smooth.

Pour the thickener into the simmering apples, stirring in thoroughly over the heat for a couple minutes, then take the apples off the heat and let them cool to room temperature before using in pie.

I like to keep this in jars in the fridge for apple pastries, for stirring into plain yogurt or ice cream, for eating on toast...it's versatile stuff. It will keep for at least a couple weeks that way, but you could freeze it in freezer-safe canning jars or ziploc bags for at least a couple months.