1. Cook bacon: In a non-stick skillet, cook the bacon until crispy then place on a paper towel-lined plate. Later, when the bacon has cooled, crumble into pieces for your delicious soup topping.

2. Sauté: Keep the bacon drippings in the skillet. If you have more than 2 tablespoons, you may want to pour some of it off. Sauté the chopped onion and apple for about 6-8 minutes or until softened and the onion pieces have become translucent.

3. De-glaze the pan: Pour the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker. While the skillet is still warm, pour in some of the chicken broth. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add this high-flavor mixture to the slow cooker.

4. Add: Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and brown sugar to the slow cooker. (If you happen to have whole nutmeg on hand, you’ll certainly want to grate some for this recipe. Whole nutmeg has a longer shelf life than ground nutmeg. Plus, if you enjoy its fragrance, you’ll love the way it smells when freshly grated.)

5. Cook: With the lid on, cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

6. Puree: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. With most slow cookers, there’s no need to place the soup in a different container to puree.

7. Add cream: Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Ladle your creamy pumpkin soup into bowls and top with a swirl of cream and bacon crumbles.