Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Caramel, apples, and creamy cheesecake are basically the ultimate fall dessert trifecta! These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are rich, sweet, and just the right amount of tart from Granny Smith apples, all topped with a buttery crumble and a drizzle of caramel.
Servings: 9 cheesecake bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups (126 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 10–12 crushed graham cracker sheets
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Filling
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Apple Layer
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Caramel sauce, for drizzling (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper, including up the sides for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat again until creamy and well blended.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crust.
- In a small bowl, toss diced apples with granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly coated.
- Scatter the spiced apples evenly over the cream cheese filling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. (Do not overmix.)
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is set and the crumble topping is golden brown.
- Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool completely for about 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Just before serving, drizzle slightly warmed caramel sauce over the top of the chilled bars.