Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
You aren’t ready for the dessert mashup of the century! Caramel Apple cheesecake bars are deliciously a-peeling in the best way possible!
Servings: 50 bites
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tbsp melted butter
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 pkg cheesecake (or vanilla) flavored pudding mix
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 granny smith apples, peeled & diced into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cornstarch + water for a cornstarch slurry
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling
- First, make the apple pie filling. Wash, peel and dice the apples into very small cubes.
- Add the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt and water to a small sauce pan.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the apples are fork tender.
- Add the cornstarch to a cup and add enough water to make a slurry.
- Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the pan while stirring. Wait about 10 seconds in between adding some of the slurry to the pan. Once the apple pie filling is thick and coats the apples, turn off the heat, discard the remaining cornstarch slurry and set everything aside to cool.
Crumb Topping
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and all purpose flour.
- Pour the cooled melted butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a fork gently stir in the butter and then use your hands to gently toss the dry ingredients together, until clumpy.
- Spread onto an ungreased cookie sheet and broil in the oven, watching it closely, until golden brown.
- Once golden brown, remove from the oven, use a spatula to stir and toss the crumb topping and return to the oven. Repeat this step until the crumb topping is golden brown all over and crispy. Allow the crumb topping to cool on the pan while making the cheesecake filling and crust.
Crust
- To make the crust, combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs to create the crust mixture.
- Press the crust into the bottom of a parchment lined 9x13 pan. Place in the freezer while making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- Whip together the heavy whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the pudding mix (just the powder!) until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth.
- Fold in the cooled apple pie filling.
- Pour into the crust and top with the crumb topping. Refrigerate until firm.
- For best results, freeze overnight prior to cutting into small, bite sized pieces.
- Drizzle with caramel prior to serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg