WHAT’S FOR DESSERT?
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Array/5
COOK TIME
1hrs
TOTAL TIME
0 hours
SERVINGS
I know we are over Thanksgiving and all but there are two desserts I had this past week that I am obsessed with. I have to share. Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars. These are even better than the name sounds. It’s basically the best of all worlds. Apple pie meets cheesecake meets brown sugar topping. In a bar. With caramel drizzled over all of it. Ridiculous.
This recipe is from Cookies and Cups and I thought I would give it a try for my contribution to Thanksgiving. I wanted something a little bit different than the normal pumpkin pie, apple pie and french silk pie. (anyone else’s family have french silk pie from Village Inn as a tradition? That is one tasty tradition). Anywho, I wanted to try something new and these turned out incredible. I brought these to my side and to Dave’s side and numerous people from each side told me these were amazing. Success!
I originally chose this recipe because I had leftover apples from Leah Kate’s first birthday party from an attempted caramel apple pop bite recipe that failed. So the Costco 12 pack of apples needed to be put to good use. Also, I went to make caramel sauce and realized I had no condensed milk. Fail. So these started out as just apple cheesecake bars. But my mom came to my rescue (like usual) and had leftover homemade caramel that I was able to use for the drizzle over the top of these bars. And then back to the original plan of Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars. (caramel sauce recipe here)
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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
Cream Cheese Filling
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1 Tablespoon
1 egg
2 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and small diced
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Steusel Topping
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup caramel sauce
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine crust ingredients: flour, brown sugar and butter. You can use a pastry cutter or a fork, but you can also use a mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until crumbly.
3. Press mixture firmly in the bottom of the pan and bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned.
4. While crust is baking, in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat until combined and smooth. Set aside.
5. Dice apples and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir until coated evenly. Set aside.
6. For the streusel topping, combine all ingredients: light brown sugar, flour, oats and butter and stir with your pastry cutter, fork or just mix in the mixer again until evenly mixed. Set aside.
7. When crust is done baking, spread the cream cheese mixture on top of warm crust, top with diced apples and finally with streusel.
8. Bake again for 30-33 minutes or until the middle doesn’t look gooey anymore. When done drizzle caramel sauce all over the top.
9. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes and then place in refrigerator to chill. Cut into squares when ready to serve.
Notes
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