Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

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.
These are always what I take when I’m feeding a crowd.

These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars have a flaky shortbread crust, a simple cheesecake filling, and has cinnamon apples and a brown sugar streusel on top. Drizzle caramel sauce on top when serving. I like Mrs. Richardson’s caramel or any other brand that’s on the thicker side.

THE RECIPE

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

INSTRUCTION:

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.