Caramel Apple Mini Cheesecakes {with Streusel Topping}
User Reviews
5
Caramel Apple Mini Cheesecakes {with Streusel Topping}
Description
Caramel Apple Mini Cheesecakes begin with a graham cracker crust blended with sugar and cinnamon, pressed into mini muffin cups for individual servings. The filling blends cream cheese, sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla with finely chopped Granny Smith apples tossed in lemon juice to add brightness and prevent browning. The streusel topping combines flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cold butter rubbed in until crumbly, which bakes to a crisp topping.
The mini cheesecakes bake briefly to set the crust and then cool before adding streusel topping and baking further for a textured finish. Salted caramel sauce adds a sweet and slightly salty contrast when drizzled on top. These bite-sized treats are ideal for sharing and offer layers of creamy, fruity, and crumbly textures with warm spices and caramel sweetness.
The recipe notes include a link to a salted caramel sauce recipe, suggesting a homemade sauce for authenticity. The use of tart apples balances the richness of the cream cheese filling and the sweetness of the caramel and streusel topping.
Ingredients
Crust
- 10 graham crackers finely crushed (1 1/3 cups, sheets
- 2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp butter melted, unsalted
Streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup quick oats
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed, 2 Tbsp
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter cold and diced into 1/2-inch cubes, unsalted
Filling
- 2 cream cheese 8 oz package, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg large
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb apple peeled, cored and finely chopped, Granny Smith variety
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Topping
- caramel sauce see notes for recipe, salted
Instructions
- For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Pour in butter and using a fork, stir until evenly moistened.
- Divide mixture among 18 paper lined muffin cups, adding a rounded tablespoon to each cup. Press into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool.
- For the streusel:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, quick oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add cold butter and using fingertips, rub butter into dry mixture until it comes together it small crumbles and pieces of butter are no longer visible. Transfer to refrigerator while preparing apples and filling.
- For the filling:
- In a bowl, toss chopped apples with lemon juice, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, cream together cream cheese with sugar just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, then blend in sour cream and vanilla.
- To assemble cheesecakes:
- Divide cheesecake batter evenly among 18 muffin cups pouring filing over crust (I used a 1/4 cup and filled it about 3/4 full). Divide apples evenly over cheesecake layer, then finish by sprinkling a heaping tablespoon of the streusel over tops.
- Bake in preheated oven 23 - 25 minutes. Cool at room temperature 30 minutes, then transfer to fridge and chill 3 hours. Serve with caramel sauce.
- *This is about 3 small granny smith apples. I recommend chopping very small so they can cook all the way through, almost mincing them (even smaller than that pictured because mine weren't quite tender all the way through).
- Recipe Source: Inspired by Paula Deen's Cheesecake Bars
Notes
- The salted caramel sauce recipe is provided separately and pairs well with these mini cheesecakes.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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