I can’t believe it’s the end of September and I haven’t posted any apple desserts yet. That’s insane.
For me, September is all about the apple!
I’ve been making this Paula Deen recipe for a couple of years now and they’ve always been good but they always needed a little more cheesecake filling in my opinion to match the thick crust and ample streusel topping.
So I increased the cheesecake filling and these are even better than I remember.
It may seem like a lot of steps but they actually come together quickly and are well worth your time.
YIELD: 16 BARS
CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS
prep time: 10 MINS cook time: 40 MINS
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup 2 sticks butter softened
Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
3/4 cup sugar , plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples , peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup 1 stick butter softened
Drizzle:
1/2 cup caramel topping for drizzling after baked
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.
In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
For the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.
Sprinkle Streusel topping over apples. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy! Make 16 servings.