Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
Crust
- 1 cup (2 sticks-220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (190g) flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2g) cinnamon
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 16 oz (500g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp (5g) lemon zest
Apples
- 3 cups apples (about 3-4 apples) - peeled, cored, chopped
- 1 tbsp (15g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2g) cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1g) nutmeg
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (63g) flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds
- 1/2 cup (1 stick-110g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1g) ground cinnamon
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120g) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5g) salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. To make the crust, beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon and mix until combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla extract, eggs, and lemon zest, mixing until fully incorporated.
4. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the baked crust.
5. In a medium bowl, toss the chopped apples with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread the apple mixture over the cream cheese layer.
6. For the streusel topping, combine rolled oats, flour, ground almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the apples.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden and the cream cheese layer is set.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the caramel sauce: In a saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in heavy cream, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Let cool slightly.
9. Once bars have cooled, drizzle with caramel sauce before cutting into squares.
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cooking Time: 60 minutes | Total Time: 85 minutes
Kcal: 380 kcal | Servings: 12 servings
Tips:
Use tart apples like Granny Smith for a balance of sweet and tangy flavor in the bars.
Allow the caramel sauce to cool slightly before drizzling to prevent it from soaking into the bars too much.