Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert recipe! Featuring a shortbread crust, spiced apple cheesecake layer, streusel topping, and caramel sauce... they're pure decadence. Bake and cool the cheesecake, then drizzle with caramel before serving!
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup (159g) light brown sugar packed
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Spiced Apple Creamy Cheesecake Filling:
- 3 8 ounce packages (681g) brick-style cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) sour cream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (249g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (113ml) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large Grannysmith apples peeled, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
For the Brown Sugar Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup (106g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (62g) old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (227g) salted caramel sauce for drizzling
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang on two of the ends. Spray with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- On low speed, add flour, spices, and salt, and mix until combined. The dough will be crumbly.
- Press the remaining crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool as you prepare the filling.
For the Spiced Apple Creamy Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream until completely smooth.
- Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On the lowest speed setting, add in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating just until combined. Stir in the flour, mixing just until combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cream, mixing just until it's incorporated in the batter. Pour the filling on top of the prepared crust and spread evenly.
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, spices, and apple chunks, mixing well to combine. Sprinkle the apples evenly on top of the cheesecake batter.
For the Brown Sugar Streusel Topping:
- In a large bowl combine both sugar, the flour, oats, and cinnamon. Add in the butter and using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the mixture until an even crumble has formed. Crumble evenly on top of the cheesecake mixture.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for 40 minutes, or until the edges have set and the middle is still a little jiggly. The cheesecake will firm up a lot as they cool.
- Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for one hour. Then refrigerate for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
- When you're ready to serve, lift the cheesecake bars from the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. Drizzle generously with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Using a large, sharp knife, slice the slab into squares, wiping the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices. Serve at once.
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