Buttery, spiced Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars - the perfect autumn dessert and made even better drizzled with salted caramel sauce!
Oh haiiiii friends! Let me introduce you to your new autumn dessert of choice. Meet Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars. Yes. Also known as 2 of my favourite desserts in the world mashed together. Actually, make that 3 of my favourite desserts if you put salted caramel sauce on top. Which you should.
I was originally going to call them Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars until I decided that it was too complicated and the salted caramel sauce was optional... Sometimes we make choices we are not proud of. Also, I was getting confused about what I called them when I was explaining them to Josh. I think I also put the word shortcake in there at some point. So to make it easy, Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars. Dessert of champions.
But add salted caramel sauce.
So, apparently it's autumn/fall. The seriously warm days we've been having definitely make me question this and make me sad that summer is over buuuut then I remember how much I love apples & pumpkins & leaves & cute ballet flats & scarves & being able to sleep at night because it's not 100 degrees & just like that I am excited about it. But it won't be winter soon right? IÂ still wish the seasons went autumn/summer/spring/summer/autumn/summer...you get it? Somewhere must be like this. Please share if you live in a winterless place? And have a spare room? I will bake you autumn treats whenever you want!
These bars a the perfect autumn treat. There's a buttery base, a cheesecake/Greek yoghurt (in a weak attempt to make this slightly more healthy) layer in the middle topped with spiced apples and finished off with some of the reserved base mixture with rolled oats added to create a perfect crumble topping.
There are 2 lots of baking involved - the crust for 15 minutes and then the whole lot all together but while the base is in the oven you have time to prepare the other layers so all up, it's not a super time consuming project!
And the smells that will come out of your oven. Cinnamon apple heaven.
Store the bars in the fridge and they can be eaten cold or warmed up a little and topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert. And probably more salted caramel sauce!
I think I like autumn after all. Now go forth and do some autumn baking!
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Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Base & crumble topping
- 125 g butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups (280g) flour
- ¼ cup oats (for the crumble)
Cheesecake filling
- 125 grams cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apples
- 2 medium apples peeled & diced
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
Base
- Add the butter, brown sugar, egg & flour to a large bowl and using a stand or hand held mixer combine until the mixture is crumbly.
- Line a slice tin with baking paper and press 2 ½ cups of the dough into the tin. Bake at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes until starting to brown.
- Add the rolled oats to the remaining mixture and set aside.
Cheesecake
- While the base is baking beat the cream cheese and sugar together until there are no lumps. Add the egg, vanilla and yoghurt and beat together. Set aside.
Apple topping
- Peel and finely dice the apples. Add to a bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg and stir until all the apples are coated.
- When the base is done, remove it from the oven, pour the cheesecake filling on and spread it all over.
- Pour the apples on top of the cheesecake filling and spread out.
- Pour the leftover base mixture (with oats added) over the apples. I like to squeeze handfuls of the crumble together to get larger pieces of crumble on the slice.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes until the crumble is golden and the cheesecake is set.
- Allow to cool completely in the tin in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- Store in the fridge for 5 days.
Sheree says
Laura what is the salted caramel topping ? Or where do I get
Laura says
Hi Sheree, I have a recipe for salted caramel sauce here - https://www.thekiwicountrygirl.com/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce/
Vicki @ Boiled Eggs & Soldiers says
No winter here even though the locals think 24 degrees is chilly! These bars look amazing! Thanks for linking up to YWF too.
Laura says
There are so many winterless places!! I might have to trip around all of them this winter! 😀
jayne says
Perth is kind of winterless - will you come over here with your apple cheesecake bars?? pretty please?? they look sensational and I think the caramel sauce would take them to a whole new level
Laura says
Ooo I have a friend who lives in Perth actually so yes, I will come and I will bring a supply of these bars! 🙂
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says
Well, I actually do kind of live in a winterless place! Brisbane has pretty pathetic winters, and there are pretty much only 2 weeks a year here when you can put on a jacket without actually sweating in it. True story! But anyway, these cheesecake bars. Laura, they look seriously amazing!! That last shot with the caramel sauce drizzled on top looks almost too delicious to handle!!
Laura says
Seriously?? I think I need to move to Brisbane! If I turn up on your doorstep in mid July...hehe 😉
Kirsty says
Yum! I looked at this recipe when my Mum was here and printed her off the recipe too along with the salted caramel sauce (she doesn't use the internet so cool for her for a new recipe).
Laura says
Woohoo! Great choice giving her the salted caramel recipe...that is still my favourite! I hope you both love the bars! 🙂
Claire | My Pink & Green Life says
Oh wow, these look phenomenal! (Too bad you can't insert emojis into comments because I would put a smiley-face-with-heart-eyes right here!) I will oh-so-definitely be making these this fall--but it's about to be spring where I live! Haha, but I can't offer you that winterless place unfortunately; winter lasts 5-6 months here in Minnesota!
Laura says
Ahhh Claire the smiley-face-with-heart-eyes emoji is my favourite!! I'm jealous you are going into spring, but that's a long winter, you will be so ready for it! 🙂