Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are creamy, sweet and delicious. They’re a simple, buttery crust with an easy apple cheesecake filling topped with an oat streusel and caramel. One of my favorite fall desserts!
Why You’ll Love These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Easy To Make! These look way more complicated than they actually are, which is the best kind of recipe to make when you’re trying to impress! Bars are more forgiving way to make cheesecake and less intimidating!
- Caramels and Apple paired with cheesecake is a match made in heaven. Perfect for a fall time gathering, or anytime of year.
- Cheesecake bars are a great recipe to make for entertaining because they feed a crowd and are grab and go!
- The tartness of the apples paired with the creamy cheesecake, sweet caramel, and crunchy streusel topping is a taste and texture
Apple Cheesecake Bars Ingredients:
These bars have 3 layers: the crust, the filling and the streusel topping. The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card, so make sure to scroll down and print that out! Here’s a short list of what you’ll need:
- For the Crust: all purpose flour, light brown sugar, and butter
- For the Filling: Cream cheese at room temperature, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, a large egg, apples, and ground cinnamon
- For the Topping: Light brown sugar, all purpose flour, old fashioned oats (rolled oats), butter, and caramel sauce.
Instructions
The crust comes together easily by combining the flour, brown sugar, and butter together with a pastry cutter. It’s essentially a shortbread crust, which is very simple! Press that into a parchment paper lined 9×9 pan and bake it in a 350°F oven until it’s lightly golden brown.
While the crust is baking make the filling! Mix the cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and some of the granulated sugar together. You can use an electric hand mixer, or your stand mixer. Set that aside. Then stir together the diced apples, remaining sugar, and cinnamon together until the apples are coated.
When the crust is done baking spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust and then top it with the apple mixture.
Make the streusel topping by combining the sugar, flour, oats, and butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle this on top of the apples and bake! When it’s done drizzle caramel all over the top!
What Kind Of Apples Should I Use For Apple Cheesecake?
I like to use Granny Smith apples most often when baking. They hold their structure and their tartness pairs well with the sweetness of the dessert for a balanced dessert.
How To Store Cheesecake Bars
These need to be refrigerated in an airtight container and will be good for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these bars stored airtight for up to 30 days for best freshness!
Love Cheesecake Bars? Here Are Some Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Golden Oreo Cheesecake Bars
- Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 25 bars 1x
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are the perfect fall dessert recipe. Easy to make, and definitely a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
Filling
- 1 (8- ounce) block cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and small diced
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine crust ingredients, flour, brown sugar and butter with a pastry cutter, or fork until they make a coarse crumb.
- Press the mixture firmly in the bottom of the pan and bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned.
- Filling: in a mixing bow, combine cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat until combined and smooth. Set aside.
- Dice apples and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Stir until coated evenly. Set aside.
- Streusel: Combining the light brown sugar, flour, oats and butter and stir with your pastry cutter or fork until evenly mixed. Set aside.
- Assemble: When crust is done baking, spread the cream cheese mixture on top of warm crust, top with diced apples and finally with streusel.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until center is set.
- When done drizzle caramel sauce all over the top.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes and then place in refrigerator to chill for approximately 2 hours, or overnight.
- Cut into squares when ready to serve.
Notes
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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Can you use an 8×8 for these?
ou can, yes, but the layers will be thicker and will require a bit more time int he oven. I would bake accorsing to the package directions and check it and add time from there!
Absolutely delicious and addictive!
I’m going to be making these this week once I have all the ingredients on hand.
In your description you say to pour the caramel sauce over the streusal after baking and before chilling but in one of the comments you say drizzle over only when serving so I’m a bit confused. If I hadn’t read the comment I would have poured the caramel over the streusal after baking and before chilling. Please clarify.
Caramel won’t make the streusel soggy, but since in that question the reader was making her own caramel I assumed it might be a thinner caramel. In all honesty you can do it either way, but I use a thicker store bought caramel and do it as written. If you want an obvious caramel drip drizzle it on right before serving. Or heck do both! lol!
Good idea! I think I’ll do both!
Shelly, I am not very good about leaving comments on here but I have enjoyed your site and your recipes for many years! I have made these apple cheesecake bars several times and they are one of my daughter’s favorites! She is home from college (most likely for the rest of the semester) and asked if we could make these together last night. They were perfect as usual and cheered her up so much! We sprinkled just a touch of sea salt on top of the caramel and it was divine! I just wanted to let you know. These are strange times we are living in right now but comfort food helps – even our college kids! Blessings to you and your family!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment! SO glad you enjoyed them and spent time with your daughter. Love the idea of the sea salt on top!
This is a perennial favorite with my co-workers, especially the ones with Autumn birthdays! It is always gone before lunch.
These are delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I’ve already made them twice this month!
Love it! So glad you like them!
I’m planning to make these this weekend. Would you recommend drizzling the caramel sauce after chilling and just when slicing and serving? Or is it more important for the streusel to absorb it? I’m making my own caramel sauce and was thinking it might make the streusel soggy if I drizzle it after baking and before chilling. Thank you!
I would definitely wait until you’re ready to serve! It will absolutely absorb into the streusel if you do it ahead!
I used my Braeburn apples and it was a hit! I’m fairly certain ANY kind of apple would taste great in this recipe…Thanks for posting! I’m going to use it again for Thanksgiving with the family!
Great!! So glad to hear!
These were by far the best dessert I have ever made, thank you so much for the recipe! I do have a couple of questions though. I made these yesterday with Granny Smith apples like the recipe calls for, but would it make a huge difference in taste to use two macintosh instead? I have so many of those left and am looking to use them up. Also, my streusel came out very moist and looked darker than yours did in the picture. Tasted absolutely AMAZING, but just looked different even though I used the same ingredients. So I guess my question is, is it supposed to be super moist or more dry of a topping?
You could absolutely use Macintosh…I just like the tartness of the Granny Smith. But Macintosh will be totally fine!! It isn’t supposed to be dry, but not totally moist either. you could certainly play around with the ratios to suit your like 🙂