Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars with Caramel
Servings: 9 bars
Calories: 398kcal
These Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars have a graham cracker and pretzel crust and are topped with caramel sauce for the ultimate Fall treat.
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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
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.5g | Protein: 5.2g | Fat: 19.4g | Saturated Fat: 10.9g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 34.7g | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg