September 08, 2020
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars have a graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake layer, sauteed cinnamon apples and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Made healthier with Greek yogurt, less sugar and whole-wheat flour!
It's almost time for fall and with the change of seasons comes seasonal fall foods! My favorite fall food is apples. I love going to my parent's farm or to an apple orchard and picking our own apples. When I have a ton of apples on hand, I love to get creative and create some fun apple desserts. These caramel apple cheesecake bars will not disappoint!
I used my classic cheesecake recipe which uses Greek yogurt for more protein and less fat and calories. I also use neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese for a little less fat but for the same rich flavor. I added cinnamon and some of the sauteed apples into the cheesecake layer for tons of cinnamon apple flavor. You will not be able to tell that these bars are any healthier than a traditional cheesecake because it tastes so rich and decadent.
I wanted the apples to be very soft like in apple pie so I sauteed them separately and topped them with the finished and cooled cheesecake bars. These bars are not the quickest or easiest desserts to make but they are definitely impressive. I could see them being served at a Halloween party because they are easy to grab and would look great out on a platter.
These caramel apple cheesecake bars are rich tasting and full of flavor. They taste exactly like you would imagine fall to taste. I love that they are so quick to bake because typical cheesecake takes over double the time to bake. Since these are thinner, they bake quickly.
I wanted this caramel apple cheesecake to be in bar form for easy grabbing and serving so I cooked them on a Chicago Metallic sheet pan. It was super easy to cook these on there! The cheesecake didn't stick at all. I think that most people own a sheet pan and not everyone owns a cheesecake pan so almost anyone should be able to make these caramel apple cheesecake bars. Typically, I bake the graham cracker crust first but this time, it didn't seem to need it so I skipped that step and it came out perfectly.
What makes these caramel apple cheesecake bars look so beautiful on display is the Mikasa Marbella Grey Oval Platter that it is served on. I love its irregular shape and if you know me, you know I love grey so I'm loving this grey color. This platter is amazing for entertaining and serving large amounts of food on.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 large apples, peeled and chopped
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups graham crumbs (about 7 graham crackers)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 2-8 ounce packages neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
- Caramel sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a skillet, melt butter and add in apples, half of the cinnamon and sugar and saute until apples are cooked through- watch carefully so mixture does not burn. Take 1 cup of apple mixture for the cheesecake filling and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend graham crackers into crumbs in your food processor. Add in the melted butter and continue to mix.
- Dump the graham mixture onto your sheet pan and press down firmly all around the sheet pan.
- Meanwhile, start to prepare the filling. In a food processor, blend all ingredients for cheesecake including the rest of the cinnamon until very smooth including the 1 cup of cooked apples. Take a spatula and scrape the sides to ensure that everything is blended.
- Spread cheesecake mixture onto sheet pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 20 minutes until 2-3 inches of the cheesecake in the center are slightly jiggly like jello but the rest is firm.
- Remove from oven and let cool 1 hour. Refrigerate to completely cool after 1 hour.
- Top cheesecake with the rest of the sauteed apples and drizzle with caramel sauce. Cut into bars and serve.
Enjoy!
Like this recipe? Check out similar cheesecake recipes:
Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Cheesecake
Key Lime Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Berry Cheesecake Tart
Banana Bread Cheesecake
Stay up to date with updates from The Nutritionist Reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Instagram and emails right to your inbox.
This post is brought to you by Chicago Metallic- maker of my favorite sheet pans and Mikasa- the best entertaining items!
Comments