These Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars have a graham cracker and pretzel crust and are topped with caramel sauce for the ultimate fall treat. There is a cheesecake layer topped with cinnamon sugar apples and topped with more graham cracker and pretzel crumble.
Why I love these Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars
I mean, I don't think this requires much explanation, but...these bars are a combination of so many good things like cheesecake, caramel, baked cinnamon apples, and a sweet and salty crumble. There is a little bit of everything for everyone in these squares of goodness!
Not only that, but these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are pretty easy to put together. This recipe is for an 8x8 baking dish but can easily be doubled for a larger batch.
Ingredients Needed to Make These Apple Cheesecake Bars
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- graham crackers
- brown sugar
- pretzels
- butter
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- cream cheese (1 package)
- sugar
- 1 egg
- vanilla extract
CINNAMON APPLES
- 2 large apples
- more brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
TOPPING
- caramel sauce (regular or salted, homemade or store-bought)
How to Make Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
CRUMBLE TOPPING AND CRUST
- Place the graham crackers and pretzels into a food processor and pulse until they've been reduced to crumbs. A few larger pieces are ok.
- Place the crumbs into a bowl and add the brown sugar and melted butter. Stir with a spoon until fully mixed in.
- Pour about ¾ of the crumble into the baking pan. Press into the bottom with your fingers first and then a flat bottom cup. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Place the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated. Scrape the side of the bowl if needed to get everything mixed in.
- Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the crumble bottom.
CINNAMON APPLES
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into small pieces. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to fully coat the apples.
- Spread the apples on top of the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the apples.
- Bake for 40 minutes until set. Allow the bars to cool on a rack for 30 minutes and then continue to cool and set them in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- Before serving, drizzle the top with caramel sauce, and enjoy!
Use store-bought caramel or make your own!
I topped these apple cheesecake bars with some salted dulce de leche (salted caramel sauce) that I made in my Instant Pot! You can also use regular caramel sauce. And, if you don't want to make the caramel sauce, just buy some at the store!
What type of apples to use for this recipe
The great thing about baking with apples is that you can use any variety you like, just make sure the apples are nice and firm. I used fuji apples for this recipe, but I have also used honey crisp or granny smith.
Tips for Making these Fall Treats
- I highly recommend using parchment paper to line your baking dish before baking. Not only does it make clean-up easier, but it also helps remove the bars from the pan once they have been baked.
- Cut the apples into ½" pieces or smaller so that every bite has delicious apples in them. Just eyeball it, it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Room-temperature cream cheese is essential so that all of the filling ingredients blend together. If you forget to pull it out of the fridge ahead of time you can zap it in the microwave at 15-second intervals or place the sealed package in warm water.
- The bars are done when the center no longer wiggles. A slight movement is ok, the bars will continue to set as they cool so don't leave them in the oven too long.
- You can easily double this recipe and use a larger baking dish if desired.
- These bars will last 2-3 days covered in the fridge.
Tools to Make Apple Cheesecake Bars with Caramel
This is my new favorite baking pan from Caraway and for good reason. It is the non-stickiest pan I've ever used, it's gorgeous, and it's non-toxic so you can feel good about using it.
I've had my Kitchenaid hand mixer for years and I still love it! I also like that you can pick your favorite color (not that it matters to the end result, but still...).
If you don't have an apple slicer/corer in your kitchen you really should get one. It's easy to use and easy to store!
Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars with Caramel
Equipment
Ingredients
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 13 sheets graham crackers (1.5 packages)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pretzels (big handful)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted (unsalted or salted)
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (1 package)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
CINNAMON APPLES
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
TOPPING
- caramel sauce (regular or salted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
CRUMBLE CRUST AND TOPPING
- Place the graham crackers and pretzels into a food processor and pulse until they've been reduced to crumbs. A few larger pieces are ok. Place the crumbs into a bowl and add the brown sugar and melted butter. Stir with a spoon until fully mixed in.
- Pour about ¾ of the crumble into the baking pan (save the rest for the topping). Press into the bottom with your fingers first and then a flat bottom cup. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Place the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated. Scrape the side of the bowl if needed to get everything mixed in.
- Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the crumble bottom.
CINNAMON APPLES
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into small pieces. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to fully coat the apples.
- Spread the apples on top of the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the apples.
- Bake for 40 minutes until set. Allow the bars to cool on a rack for 30 minutes and then continue to cool and set them in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- Before serving, drizzle the top with caramel sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
- I highly recommend using parchment paper to line your baking dish before baking. Not only does it make clean-up easier, but it also helps remove the bars from the pan.
- Cut the apples into ½" pieces or smaller so that every bite has delicious apples in them. Just eyeball it, it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Room-temperature cream cheese is essential so that all of the filling ingredients blend together. You can zap it in the microwave at 15-second intervals or place the sealed package in warm water if you forget to pull it out of the fridge ahead of time.
- The bars are done when the center no longer wiggles. A slight movement is ok, the bars will continue to set as they cool so don't leave them in the oven too long.
- You can easily double this recipe and use a larger baking dish if desired.
- These bars will last 2-3 days covered in the fridge.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you make these Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars?
If you make these Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars, I would love it if you would leave a comment and rating below. And if you snap a picture, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me!
You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my email list so you never miss a recipe!
GG says
The ingredient list for the crumble includes 3/4 cup of brown sugar. The instructions never mention adding any sugar to the crumble. Which is correct?
Emily says
Hi, adding brown sugar to the crumble is correct. I fixed the instructions, thanks for letting me know!
nancy says
how delicious and decadent are these cheesecake bars. i really enjoyed the graham cracker and pretzel crumble ! SUPER
Emily says
Nancy, I'm so glad you loved them! Thanks for trying them out.
Shelby says
You had me at pretzel crumble, these were great!
Emily says
So glad to hear it, Shleby! Thanks for trying the recipe.
Judith says
Lots of great flavours here. I especially loved the caramel sauce.
Emily says
I have to admit the caramel sauce is my favorite too!