Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Treat yourself to these caramel apple cheesecake bars, where creamy cheesecake meets sweet caramel and juicy apples. It’s like autumn in every delicious bite!

Cheesecake is usually a winner as far as desserts go. However, when we think of cheesecake, the first thing that comes to our mind is cherry cheesecake. Have you considered adding apple flavor to a cheesecake? And caramel?

I promise you, you won’t regret it.

Until recent years I’ve usually stayed away from fruit desserts. Oh, sure, I’d eat them if they were put in front of me, but if I’m baking something, it’s going to have chocolate in them. Because, chocolate is life.

However, the older I get, the more I enjoy seasonal fruit desserts. Every season has a kind of fruit treat that brings back memories of that same season years before.

And so, for September it’s apple baked desserts that bring back autumn memories. Apples and pumpkin desserts of course. Because, after I eat all the apple things you can bet I’m enjoying some pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

It’s only in recent years that I’ve finally been making cheesecake because for a long time my young children didn’t like it. However, as they get older their tastebuds have changed (and so have their appetites! If you are feeding teenagers you know what I’m talking about.)

Everyone in my house loved these cheesecake bars. Well, everyone except my gluten-free daughter who couldn’t eat them.

I know. It’s sad. I feel sad for her. But don’t worry about her too much, tomorrow we are making a gluten-free pumpkin bread to fill that deep, empty dessert hole in her soul.

Anyways, I prefer to make cheesecake in square from. It just seems less intimidating if I make bars instead of a full on cake. That’s probably not true, but it’s how my brain works.

But, that’s why you’ll find other cheesecake bars like my lemon blueberry cheesecake bars on this site as opposed to normal cake form cheesecake (at least up until this point of the blog.)

I’m not going to lie, this cheesecake has quite a few steps, but each step doesn’t take too long and I promise you, it’s well worth the effort.

Of course, to make the process a little easier, you can use store bought caramel sauce. It’ll still taste AMAZING.

Tips and Notes for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

1. Room Temperature Ingredients – Ensure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. This helps achieve a smooth and creamy cheesecake filling without lumps.
2. Cheesecake Filling – Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy before adding other ingredients. This helps to avoid a lumpy texture in the filling.
3. Graham Cracker Crust – Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the pan to avoid a crumbly base. Using the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass works well.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:​

For the crust

• 20 graham crackers or 1.5 cups of crushed graham crackers
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp sugar

For the filling

• 1 and a half 16 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature (24 ounces total)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar

For the apple topping

• 2.5 cups apples, diced and peeled
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ginger

For the crumble topping

• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

For the caramel sauce

• 5 tbsp butter
• 5 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat Your Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on the sides for easy removal later. If you don’t have parchment paper you can always just grease an 8×8 pan.

Make the Crust:

Toss the graham crackers in a food processor and process them until they fine crumbs.

In a medium bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Mix until everything is well combined and the mixture resembles wet sand.

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon or a flat-bottomed glass to pack it down firmly. Make sure to press down with some serious effort!

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Prepare the Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and mix until fully incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully blended before adding the next.

Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pre-baked crust and spread it out evenly.

Prepare the Apple Topping:

In a medium bowl, toss the diced apples with cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and ginger until they are well coated.

Evenly distribute the spiced apples over the cream cheese filling.

Make the Crumble Topping:

In a small bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, and flour. Cut in the softened butter using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the apples.

Bake:

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.

Allow the bars to cool completely before moving them to the fridge to continue to cool overnight. You definitely want to give cheesecake a LONG time to chill.

Prepare the Caramel Sauce:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Stir in the brown sugar and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the sauce cool slightly before drizzling.

Once the bars are cool, cut them into squares. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the bars just before serving.

This cheesecake is a great way to kick off the fall season, or really to enjoy at any time!