Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — 🍎🍁🍂 These layered caramel apple cheesecake bars feature a buttery crust that’s topped with a cheesecake layer, spiced apples, and the BEST crumble topping! After baking, these INCREDIBLE cheesecake bars are drizzled with salted caramel sauce to truly make them next-level! The PERFECT fall dessert for entertaining or Thanksgiving!
Table of Contents
These apple cheesecake bars taste like apple pie, apple crumble, and cheesecake all in one!
Between the rich flavors of salted caramel, apples, and cinnamon to a tempting layer of cream cheese and chunky oat crumbles, this will be your new favorite apple dessert this fall.
The recipe begins with a brown sugar shortbread-style crust that’s tender and light. The crust is topped with a rich and creamy cheesecake layer, which is topped with cinnamon-and-sugar spiced apples. Then there’s a buttery, oatmeal and brown sugar-based crumble that’s sprinkled on.
After baking, salted caramel is drizzled over the top. It adds so much depth of flavor and as it soaks in, it helps the bars stay beautifully soft, moist, and tender for days.
The recipe takes a few minutes to prep, but it’s so worth it. The steps go fast and your house will smell like a bakery while the bars bake.
Ingredients in Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
To make this caramel apple cheesecake bars recipe, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese – regular or lite both work
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Diced apples – any kind; I used one Fuji and one Gala
- Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Rolled oats – also called ‘old-fashioned oats’
- Salted caramel sauce – I’ve linked my homemade recipe, but you can use your favorite store-bought brand, too
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Apple Cheesecake Bars
- You’ll first need to prep the crust and bake it in a greased 8×8-inch pan until just set.
- While the crust bakes, stir together the cheesecake layer.
- Then, dice the apples and toss with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Prep the crumble topping in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Once the crust is out of the oven, pour the cheesecake mixture over top. Next, sprinkle the diced apples evenly over the cheesecake layer. Finally, sprinkle on the crumble topping.
- Bake the apple cheesecake bars until the crumble topping is just set and very lightly golden browned. Let cool completely before serving.
Recipe FAQs
It really doesn’t matter which kind you use. I used a Gala apple and a Fuji apple, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
Yes, these bars will keep in an air-tight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also store these in the refrigerator, if desired.
Yes! Lite cream cheese will work here, so long as it’s brick-style and not the kind that comes in a tub.
You want to make sure you’re using old-fashioned rolled oats and not instant or steel cut oats. Rolled oats create the perfect crumble topping and are the way to go here.
Of course! I prefer using salted caramel since the salt helps balance the overall sweetness, but use any caramel sauce you like.
The combination of divine flavors and textures–buttery and crunchy, sweet and cinnamon-y, creamy, rich and gooey–made these bars absolutely swoon-worthy! I doubled the recipe for a crowd (using 2 8×8 pans), and everyone (especially the men!) fell all over themselves for seconds (and thirds). — Kim
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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
Cheesecake
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (use brick-style)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apples
- about 2 cups small diced apples, from about 2 med apples, peeled and cored; I used 1 Fuji and 1 Gala
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crumble
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned-whole rolled oats, not quick-cook or instant
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3/4 of 1 stick, softened
Caramel
- ½ cup, salted caramel sauce, for drizzling; or more to taste (homemade salted caramel, or store bought; use a thick caramel sauce and not thin, runny ice cream sundae topping)
- ice cream, optional for serving
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and cut in the butter with two forks. Keep working until mixture is combined and pea-sized crumbly bits are present.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan, hard-packing it with your fingertips in an even, smooth, flat layer to form a crust.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes, or just until set (set a timer). Remove from oven; set aside. While crust bakes, prepare the remaining layers.
Cheesecake Layer
- In a large bowl (same one used for crust is okay, just wipe with a paper towel), add all ingredients and beat with a hand mixer (or whisk vigorously by hand) until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes on high power; set aside.
Apple Layer
- Peel, core, and dice apples and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toss well to combine; set aside.
Crumble Topping
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cut in the butter with two forks. Keep working until mixture is combined and pea-sized crumbly bits are present. If necessary, add an extra tablespoon or two of flour or oats for preferred consistency if mixture is loose.
Assemble the Bars
- After removing pan with the crust layer from the oven, pour cheesecake mixture over the crust, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Lightly and evenly sprinkle the apples.
- Evenly sprinkle with the crumble mixture. It looks like a lot, but it sinks some while baking.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (I baked 48 minutes), or until crumble topping is just set and very lightly golden browned. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, evenly drizzle with (salted) caramel sauce.
- Allow bars to cool, in pan, on wire rack for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Cover with foil if cooling overnight. Don’t slice bars too early because you’ll have a literal hot mess and bars will likely fall apart. Prior to slicing, lift bars out using foil overhang, slice, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Apple Desserts:
5-Minute Apple Cinnamon Crumble for One — Buttery apples are tossed with cinnamon-and-sugar and nutmeg, and the crumble topping is made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats.
Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer apple cake that’s to-die-for!! Loaded with juicy apples in every bite, perfectly spiced, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting!
Cinnamon Roll Apple Crisp – A layer of cinnamon rolls topped with apples and a crunchy oatmeal crumble makes this the ULTIMATE apple crisp!
Easy Apple Cobbler — A spiced apple filling is topped with a sweet biscuit topping before being baked to golden brown and bubbly perfection!
Apple Pie Bars — 🍎🍏🎉 A flaky, buttery crust is topped with homemade apple pie filling and an oat crumble topping in these INCREDIBLE spiced apple pie bars!
Crustless Apple Pie — 🍎🍏🍁 Sometimes called Swedish apple pie, this EASY recipe for apple pie without a traditional pie crust is a FAST, foolproof, no-mixer recipe!
Apple Fritter Bread — 🍎🍏🍁 Soft, fluffy bread that’s stuffed AND topped with apples, cinnamon, and sugar! Like apple fritters in bread form! Best apple bread EVER and so EASY to make!
Originally published October 3, 2014 and republished August 19, 2020 with updated text.
Hi Averie, I wanted to know if you thought that these bars were better than your Caramel Apple cinnamon Bars and why. Oh, and if you liked the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars better than the Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie Bars or if it was the other way around and why. Thank you :)
So many questions!
Bottom line you can’t go wrong with anything. I think the cream cheese is a nice touch in the apple bars if you like cream cheese. If not, make the version without. With the PB bars, I love PB + chocolate so I’d probably personally choose those, but depends on my mood.
This looks AMAZING! Have you tried doubling it with a 9×13? It might be laborious to make enough for 50 people for an apple-themed party I’m hosting to do it 9×9… just wondering what your doubling experience has been:-)
I haven’t personally doubled this recipe although I think it would be just fine in a 9×13. You wouldn’t be able to serve 50 though from one 9×13 pan. You’d probably need 3 pans worth just to be safe! Eek, that sounds like a lot of work and you’re a trooper if you do it, but your friends will LOVE you even more! :)
I noticed it said to store at room temp…. Shouldn’t they be stored in the refrigerator because of the cheesecake? They look incredible, I think I will be making these for my birthday treat! Thanks!
Since it’s baked, I don’t have any issue storing at room temp (how is the dairy/eggs in this any different than say a cake that uses dairy/eggs or brownies, etc.) but if you prefer the fridge, go for it.
ahhhh, these look fantastic! love these!
You seriously make the most delicious looking bars! Teach me the tricks!
Oh pul-eeze girl, your stuff is mind-blowing…every single time!! :)
I think my favorite part of these bars could be the caramel drenched crumble on top!
Holi frazoli! I nearly lost my mind looking at those photos!!! If ever there was a time I wanted to jump threw my screen and plant my face in to something.. now would be that time :) Thanks for sharing!
Oh my word, I love caramel apple desserts. And cheesecake. And crumble bars. So yeah, these are just pretty awesome since they include everything! PINNED
Thank you for pinning, Aimee, and I hope your week gets off to a smooth smart :)
I definitely want some of these!
Just made these last night ! SO GOOD ! My family loved them, def. baking them again for when guest come over. Thanks !
I am so glad you tried the recipe, and on the same weekend I posted it, no less! Awesome! And glad to hear you’ll re-make for guests!
Mmmmmmm! Triple YES on these bars. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, as always, and also for pinning my book :) Totally saw that in your feed! xoxo
My gosh, this looks so wrong but so right <3 I love apple crumble, especially during fall season. Perfect for afternoon tea ^^
I love your apple adventures :) Especially these bars! They have been stalking me on social media and I finally got over here to check them out. Each and every layer is just perfection Averie and that topping…goodlaaawd! Pinned!
This looks so so so good! I just want to eat it now!
Love everything about these bars! From the crust, to the filling and the topping! I have apples and caramel on my mind and I would love a piece of this right now! Pinned!
Thanks, Anna! You’re the best!
These apple bars are INSANE! Look at that gorgeous crumble! And salted caramel? And cheesecake? Gah, they are tooo good!