Have I got a good one for you here today, just in time for Thanksgiving. This recipe mixes two of my absolute favorite desserts – Cheesecake and Apple Pie. I mean what could possibly be better than cheesecake and apple pie together!

I found this recipe on the Food Networks website courtesy of Paula Dean. But of course, I modified it to my personal taste. The original recipe calls for a shortbread crust, but I swapped that out for a graham cracker crust that I feel gives it more of a true “cheesecake” like taste. Also, I cut down on the flour and butter in the streusel top which makes it a bit less dense.

This recipe is a little bit more involved than a lot of desserts as there are 4 steps – crust, cheesecake, apples, and struesel. However, trust me it is worth it!! I have pictures below that show all four steps.

Serve either cold or at room temperature.

So without further ado, here is the recipe:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

Graham cracker crust:
• 2 cup graham cracker crumbs ( I used 1 cup graham crackers (1 sleeve) & 1 cup pumpkin spice sandwich cookies (6 cookies))
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
Cheesecake filling:
• Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple topping:
• 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (to taste – may need more or less)
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 T sugar
Streusel Topping:
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 stick butter, softened

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor crumb up the cookies and graham crackers. Dump in a bowl and add sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.
4. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
5. Combine streusel topping in a bowl. Sprinkle over the apples.
6. Bake 40 – 50 minutes, or until filling is set. Totally depends on oven, mine took about 50 minutes.

Cool on the counter, then put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Serve either cold or at room temperature.

As always you can come back and print this recipe out here on my Cookies, Bars, Breads, and Muffins page. 🙂