Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
User Reviews
5
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Description
This recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars begins by creating a crust of flour, brown sugar, and sliced butter, mixed until crumbly and pressed evenly into a baking pan. The cream cheese batter is made with softened cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth, then poured over the baked crust. The chopped Granny Smith apples are mixed with cinnamon and sugar and layered on top before baking again until the filling sets and the apples soften without becoming mushy.
The salted caramel topping is prepared by melting sugar slowly until it caramelizes, then adding butter carefully to combine, followed by heavy cream and sea salt. This sauce adds a rich, buttery, and slightly salty contrast to the sweet and tart bars. The cheesecake’s texture remains creamy with the crispness of the tart apples enhanced by the warm caramel.
These bars serve well as a dessert for fall or anytime a balance of creamy cheesecake, fruit, and caramel is desired. Allowing ingredients like cream cheese and eggs to reach room temperature before mixing contributes to a smooth, crack-free filling.
Gradual cooling after baking by leaving the bars in the oven with the door slightly open prevents cracks. Avoid overmixing the batter to maintain structure. Cool completely before slicing and drizzling caramel to keep presentation neat.
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 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 apple peeled, cored, and chopped, Granny Smith variety
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Salted Caramel Topping
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter sliced, salted
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt 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 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Mix cream cheese and 1/2 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
- Bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature before mixing for smooth filling.
- Mix cheesecake batter just until combined to avoid cracks.
- Cool bars gradually after baking by leaving oven door slightly open before refrigerating.
- Allow bars to cool completely before adding caramel topping and slicing.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 16Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 446 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 446kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 43g | 14% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 29g | 45% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Cholesterol | 110mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 391mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 119mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 30g | 60% |
| Vitamin A | 1034IU | 21% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 52mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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