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These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are HEAVENLY. You’ll love the sweet crust, cheesecake filling, cinnamon apple topping, and salted caramel on top.
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These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are full of fall flavor. First and foremost, apples and caramel always taste great together. Furthermore, when served up on a warm crust with a creamy cheesecake layer, it makes them both taste even better. By using a 9×13 baking pan, these dump and go cheesecake bars are the perfect way to host a get-together. Additionally, bring these bars to a Fall potluck or Thanksgiving feast, and everyone will be begging for the recipe!
Ingredients in Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Each layer of these delicious bars is better than the next! Additionally, they’re really easy to throw together with very simple ingredients. So, here’s all you need:
For the crust and cream cheese mixture:
- Flour – two cups all purpose flour
- Brown sugar – half a cup dark or light brown sugar, packed.
- Butter – one cup (or two cubes) cold butter, sliced into thin slices.
- Cream cheese – 16 ounces (2 packages) softened
- Sugar you’ll need half a cup, and 2 tablespoons sugar, separated
- Eggs – two large eggs
- Vanilla extract – one teaspoon
- Granny Smith apples – three large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- Cinnamon – half teaspoon, ground cinnamon or more for extra flavor.
Salted Caramel Topping
- Sugar – one cup white sugar
- Salted butter – more chilled butter, about six tablespoons, sliced
- Heavy cream – half a cup
- Sea salt – one teaspoon
Salted Caramel Sauce
This was my first time making homemade salted caramel, and it was SO good and SO easy! Initially, it takes the sugar quite a while to melt down, so don’t worry if it seems like it is taking a long time. However, the time you spend on this caramel sauce is totally worth it, and it is the perfect topping for these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars. Moreover, you can even make a double batch so you can drizzle it over ice cream. In the end, it’s absolutely delicious!
Types of Apples to Use for this Recipe
Different apple varieties can have different flavors and textures. Here are some options to consider: We love using a tart, crisp apple like Granny Smith; however, you could also try Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp apples. They’re all tart and firm, making them ideal for baking and using in desserts. Moreover, you can experiment with combinations of apple varieties to achieve a balance of sweetness and tartness that suits your preference in apple desserts.
Tips for a Perfect Cheesecake Layer
- Make sure all of the ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, etc.) are at room temperature before mixing. This ensures a smoother and less dense cheesecake filling.
- Avoid overmixing the cheesecake batter, as overmixing can lead to cracks. Mix until just combined.
- Gradually cool the cheesecake after baking by turning off the oven and letting it sit with the door slightly open for about an hour before transferring it to the refrigerator. Rapid temperature changes can lead to cracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the caramel in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Heat it up in the microwave for 30-60 seconds before you use it because it does stiffen in the fridge.
These bars can be stored covered in the fridge. The salted caramel will harden in the fridge, so set them out and let them reach room temperature before serving.
Yes! If you want to take your cheesecake bars to the next level, then add a streusel topping on top of the apples. Using a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers, combine ½ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 cup sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the apple layer. Follow instructions below for baking and drizzle caramel sauce on top.
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More Apple Recipes
- Disneyland’s Apple Pie Caramel Apples – These Apple Pie Caramel Apples from Disneyland are my new favorite treat! If you can’t make it to Disney, then bring the magic to your kitchen with this easy recipe!
- Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Cider – Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Cider Copycat is my Fall drink of choice! This delicious warm apple cider drink is THE actual recipe used at Starbucks.
- Apple Fries with Caramel Cream Dip are the perfect warm dessert for a crisp Autumn evening. It also made our house smell like apple pie.
- Apple Dumplings – These Apple Dumplings are like individual apple pies and they are also very easy to make. Best when hot out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!
- Traditional Apple Crisp – This is a no-frills, easy, traditional apple crisp recipe that can’t be beat. Just like the apple crisp the lunch lady used to make back in the good ol’ days (but better)!
How to Make Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter sliced
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 packages) softened
- 1/2 cup sugar + 2 TBSP separated
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Salted Caramel Topping
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, brown sugar, and butter slices. Mix with a hand mixer or with your hands until combined and crumbly. Press evenly into a 9×13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Mix cream cheese and ½ cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Pour over crust.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, cinnamon and 2 TBSP of sugar. Stir until the apples are coated. Spoon apple topping on top of the cheesecake layer.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Salted Caramel Topping
- Heat sugar in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly with wooden spoon and make sure to scrape the sides and bottom. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown liquid. Continue to stir constantly.
- Once sugar is melted, add in the butter. The caramel will bubble up when you add in the butter, so be careful when adding it. Stir until butter is completely melted and combined with caramel.
- Slowly add the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up when you add the cream as well. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add in sea salt.
- Drizzle over bars immediately before serving.
Notes
- Make sure all of the ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, etc.) are at room temperature before mixing. This ensures a smoother and less dense cheesecake filling.
- Avoid overmixing the cheesecake batter, as overmixing can lead to cracks. Mix until just combined.
- Gradually cool the cheesecake after baking by turning off the oven and letting it sit with the door slightly open for about an hour before transferring it to the refrigerator. Rapid temperature changes can lead to cracks.
Nutrition Information
I need these in my life! They are amazing!
This recipe satisfied all of my sweet cravings. I absolutely love the apples with this recipe!
I am loving these! That caramel drizzle on top is everything! There so good.
You had me at cheesecake. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. This looks and sounds delicious, wish I could have some with freshly brewed coffee right now.
My family loved these. Taking the leftovers (not many) to a neighbor. They’re wonderful bars.
Just wondering if you feel that this recipe can be doubled and put in a jelly roll pan? I’d like to be able to use this for our daughters wedding reception and it would need to be doubled.
Would appreciate your thoughts
,
Kathy
The bars are pretty thick in a 9×13 pan. If I was making a big batch of these bars in jelly roll pans, I would make a recipe and a half per pan. The caramel sauce in this recipe is very good, however, if I was making multiple batches of these bars for a wedding reception, I would simplify and substitute your favorite caramel topping for the homemade caramel sauce. The homemade sauce in this recipe thickens quite a bit and it adds an extra step when you have to reheat it before drizzling over the bars. The bars can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the refrigerator, but the caramel looks and tastes the best if added just before serving. Congratulations and good luck! Your guests will love these bars!
Thank you so much! We are excited, she our last child to marry, we have 9, and the last three of them have married in 1 1/2 years!!! I think I could be a professional wedding planner, but I’m content to just celebrate and call it well done! Thanks again
Echo Thank you on the comment that bars can be made day or two ahead. I made bars today ( Saturday Deb. 1st 2019) I am going the caramel topping in the morning. The church iI go to we have want we call Fellowship lunch the 1st Sunday of every month. But in Aug we have the the 3r Sunday to welcome and welcome back students at Purdue University in West Lafayette. My church is in Lafayette,In. If you go to to website for West Lafayette and Lafayette,IN ( www,homeofpurdue.com) you see that saying is Two Great cities One Great University.