One bite of these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars and you’ll be smitten! Cookie crust with creamy cheesecake filling, fresh apples, and a thick brown sugar streusel are topped with a drizzle of decadent caramel sauce!
Love Caramel Apples? Don’t miss this decadent Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake! Or whip up a batch of these caramel apple empanadas!
Why this Recipe Works
We took our favorite cheesecake bars to make today’s delightful treat.
How do you make an mini apple cheesecakes even better? Cover it in caramel!
- Easy homemade crust made with vanilla wafers.
- Cinnamon streusel pairs perfectly with creamy cheesecake.
- All the flavor of caramel apples packed into one dessert bar!
I can never turn down the pairing of caramel and apples. While this cheesecake takes a bit more time and effort than my Caramel Apple Dip or these Apple Nachos, the results are more than worth it.
Add these Caramel Apple Cheesecake bars to your menu for your next special occasion. Or make them any time you’re craving the unbeatable combo of caramel, apples and cheesecake!
Love today’s recipe? Try our peanut butter cheesecake bars next!
Ingredient Notes
I use our favorite cheesecake recipe as a base for today’s bars.
- Apples – Any kind of firm baking apples will do. I like to use a mix of sweet and tart apples for best flavor.
- Sour cream – This makes the cheesecake filling taste even richer and creamier. Make sure to use full fat, unflavored sour cream.
- Cornstarch – We use a tiny bit of cornstarch to thicken the filling and help it hold together.
- Quick oats – The finer cut of quick cook (or instant) oats is best for creating the ideal streusel topping. In a pinch, you could use old fashioned oats…but avoid using steel cut oats!
- Caramel sauce – Use you favorite bottled caramel sundae topping or jarred caramel sauce for the drizzle on these bars.
Easy Instructions
To make the cookie crust:
Pulse vanilla wafers in a food processor to form crumbs. Mix in melted butter. Press crust into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Bake the crust for about 8 minutes. Let it cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
For the apple cheesecake filling:
Melt heavy cream and white chocolate together in the microwave.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together in a mixer until fluffy. Next, beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and spices and the white chocolate mixture.
Pour the filling over the cookie crust. Top with diced apples.
Streusel topping:
Mix together the streusel ingredients in a bowl with your fingers. Sprinkle the crumble over the apples.
Bake the apple cheesecake for 40 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Now, the finishing touch: caramel sauce!
Drizzle the sauce over your chilled bars. Slice, serve and enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- 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.
- Add caramel sauce after chilling. If you put the caramel on the bars before refrigerating them, the caramel will get hard. Wait to add the caramel until you’re ready to eat!
- Do not overbake. The center of your cheesecake bars may look slightly jiggly when you take them out of the oven. Remember the filling will continue to set as the cheesecake cools.
- Chill overnight. I like to bake the cheesecake the night before. Let it chill all night long and the cheesecake is ready to eat in the morning. Who says you can’t have cheesecake bars for breakfast?
- Cookies. Gingersnaps or graham crackers also make a delicious crust option! Use our graham cracker crust recipe if desired.
Recipe FAQs
I used a 9-inch square baking dish to get about 12 thick bars. Some readers have also had success baking these in a 9 x 12 baking dish for thinner bars.
Store caramel apple cheesecake bars tightly covered in the fridge. They keep fresh for 3 to 5 days.
Yes, my caramel apple cheesecake bars can be stored in the freezeru002du002dalthough the streusel topping will not taste as crisp after thawing. Freeze these bars BEFORE adding the caramel drizzle. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before topping with caramel sauce.
If you prefer the flavor of graham cracker crust and all you have are graham crackers go ahead and use them here! I do love the vanilla cookie flavor paired with the caramel and apples though.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Apple Slab Pie
- Homemade Caramels
- No Bake Cheesecake Bars
- Apple Fritters
- Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
- Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Saltine Toffee
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 box vanilla wafer cookies 11 ounce (about 3 cups)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the filling:
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup white chocolate morsels
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened 8 ounce each
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with foil. Set aside.
- 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.
- Bake crust for about 8 minutes, remove and cool while preparing cheesecake filling (doesn’t need to be cooled completely).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- When ready to serve, cut into bars and drizzle with caramel sauce. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars bring together your favorite fall flavors. With cinnamon spice, real apples, streusel topping and luscious caramel, these bars are too good to pass up!
OMG, so delicious! I used a 9×11 pan. I’ll definitely be making them again, thanks.
You’re welcome, glad you loved them.
Just made this, everyone loved it. Mixing crust was very gooey. I think the butter might have been too soft. Next time I will try a graham cracker crust.
I made it for a meeting, everyone said it was fantastic. A comment made was it was light and refreshing. It worked perfect for me in and 9×9 pan.
So glad your coworkers loved it!
Can I use something other than oatmeal for topping?
I love that you have pictures of the preparations step by step. My husband has taken up baking on the weekends (he never baked before this year) and when he follows your recipes he has no questions. Thank you so much!
SO happy to hear they are helpful! Enjoy the recipes!
Loved this recipe, but I found it works better in a 9X 13 pan.
It did not all fit in a 9″ square dish.
It was delicious. My family loved it.
I made these last year at Christmas time and they were a hit. I can’t wait to make them again for all my holiday get togethers this fall.
These are heavenly! Love the flavors and how easy this was to make.
OMG Yummmm! This is my kind of dessert!
This screams fall! So excited about it! 🙂 I am loving all of the layers in these bars! Perfect!
I made these last year for my son’s teachers and they were a huge hit! It’s time to make them again!
These look so good. I can’t wait to make them for my family.
Aimee if this Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars could be better I do not know how
Delicious!