Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

by

One bite of these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars will leave you wanting another! Cookie crust with creamy cheesecake filling, fresh apples, and a thick brown sugar streusel, all topped with a drizzle of decadent caramel sauce!

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 box (11 oz) vanilla wafer cookies (about 3 cups)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

  • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup white chocolate morsels
  • 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 cups diced and peeled apples

For the streusel:

  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ cup quick oats
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup caramel sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with foil. Set aside.
  2. In a food processor, process cookies until fine crumb. Slowly add in melted butter and mix until completely combined (I just pulse a few times). Press into the bottom of your prepared dish.
  3. Bake crust for about 8 minutes, remove and cool while preparing cheesecake filling (doesn’t need to be cooled completely).
  4. For the filling, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat one minute and stir until melted and smooth (heat additional 15 seconds if needed). Set aside.
  5. In a mixer, combine cream cheese with sugar and cornstarch and beat until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and spices. Slowly beat in white chocolate mixture. Pour over prepared crust. Top with diced apples. Set aside.
  6. In a bowl, combine streusel ingredients and mix with hands until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Return to oven and bake for 40 minutes. Center may be slightly jiggly. Cool completely then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
  7. When ready to serve, cut into bars and drizzle with caramel sauce. ENJOY!

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. When making cheesecake, it’s best to take your eggs, cream cheese and sour cream out of the fridge about a half hour ahead of time. This makes them easier to blend for a perfect cheesecake consistency.