Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

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These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are a must make dessert for the fall! I've made the cheesecake and crumb topping for these bars at least one dozen times and they always come together in the most delicious way. They are beautiful, rich, and come together in less than one hour!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Chilling Time3

Total Time4

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cheesecake bars, caramel apple, caramel apple cheesecake bars, creamy, graham cracker crust

Servings: squares

Calories: 402kcal

Author: Aimee

Equipment

Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

For the Streusel Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
5 TBS Unsalted Butter (softened)

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 12 cracker sheets)
6 TBS Unsalted Butter (melted)
2 TBS Granulated Sugar

For the Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz Cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Sour Cream
2 Eggs
1/2 TBS Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Salt

For the Spiced Apples:

2 cups Diced Apples
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

For Serving:

Caramel Sauce

Instructions

For the Streusel Crumb Topping:

Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk them together. 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour, 1/3 cup Brown Sugar, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, 1/8 tsp Salt,
Add the butter and mix into the dry mixture using two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture is nice and crumbly. 5 TBS Unsalted Butter

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8x8 or 9x9inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set it aside.
Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter to a medium bowl and stir them together until you have a nice sandy mixture. 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs, 6 TBS Unsalted Butter, 2 TBS Granulated Sugar
Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, and press it down with the bottom of a cup.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until it is smooth. 16 oz Cream cheese
Add in the sugar, sour cream, and mix at medium speed for a couple of minutes until nice and smooth. 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar, 1/4 cup Sour Cream
Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and salt at low speed until just combined. 2 Eggs, 1/2 TBS Vanilla Extract, 1/8 tsp Salt
Pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust, smooth it evenly over the top.

For the Spiced Apples:

Add the apples to a medium bowl, and toss them with them lemon juice. Then add the brown sugar, and cinnamon and stir them together. 2 cups Diced Apples , 1 tsp Lemon Juice, 2 TBS Brown Sugar, 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Spoon the apples evenly over the cheesecake, evenly to the edges.

For Assembling the Cheesecake:

Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the apples.
Bake the cheesecake for for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature, for about 1 hour. Then place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days.
Cut the cheesecake into bars. Spoon caramel sauce over the top of each bar and enjoy!

Notes

Line your Pan: Line your pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil to make the bars easy to remove, and easier to cut into nice even slices.
Softened Ingredients: Let the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before mixing into the filling to avoid lumps, and ensure everything mixes together nicely.
Don’t Over Bake: These cheesecake bars will be slightly jiggly in the center when they are done baking, they will keep cooking in the pan after they are removed from the oven. If the cheesecake is loose or jiggles a lot then the bars are not done, and bake a little longer. Do not bake until the cheesecake is fully set in the oven.

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