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Apple Cheesecake Bars

5 from 3 votes
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posted: 09/22/19

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy
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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

These Apple Cheesecake Bars are a delicious and easy treat that are going to become a family favorite. Buttery brown sugar crust, great apple cheesecake middle and delicious crumble topping!

a stack of three apple cheesecake bars on wax paper on a wood platter with caramel sauce dripping from them and a bite out of the top one

Happy Sunday, happy people! If all the stars align perfectly, today we will head out to pick apples. It is one of my very favorite fall traditions. We have been doing it for the last 9 years or so, and something about it fills my heart with joy. Even if kids are crabby about walking, and I’m tired from lack of sleep, once we get out there it’s like all of that disappears. Magical apple trees, I love you.

So! I thought it would be appropriate to give you an amazing apple recipe to make with those gorgeous red orbs. I’m also planning on making (and hopefully updating the post for) my Apple Bread with what we pick!

The Perfect Apple Dessert

If you have also just gone apple picking and you are looking for that perfect apple recipe, look no further. These Apple Cheesecake Bars are the perfect thing to make!

They have an amazing crust with the perfect buttery texture.

Next is a delicious cheesecake layer that is the right amount of thick and sweet.

After that we add fresh apples that have been coated in cinnamon, sugar, and a little nutmeg.

Finally there is the best crumb topping!

a 9 by 13 inch clear glass baking dish on a white surface surrounded by cinnamon sticks and two apples filled with caramel apple cheesecake bars with one missing

Baking with Kids

This perfect Apple Cheesecake Bar recipe comes to you courtesy of the talented Christi Johnstone of Love From the Oven and her incredible book: My Little Pony Baking Book! Guys. My girls absolutely FREAKED out when they saw this book. I actually hid it from them for a few months until I was able to really dig into it and photograph it with these amazing bars. I knew if I didn’t, they would ruin it’s crisp perfection because they would drool over every single page. I was right!

This cookbook is so fun! It is full of bright and colorful photos of our favorite ponies and 50 amazing recipes. As someone who has a passion for cooking and baking, this is such a great way to share my love for it with my kids.

Plus, amazing baked goods are never a bad thing.

stacked apple cheesecake bars on a wood platter with the my little pony baking book in the background

How to Make Apple Cheesecake Bars

As I mentioned above, these bars have four gorgeous layers. You need to bake the crust before you add the rest, but you can make layers 2, 3, and 4 while the crust bakes. The end result is cheesecake bar perfection.

  1. Combine cold butter, flour, and brown sugar in a food processor. Press the crumby mixture into the bottom of a baking dish and bake.
  2. While the crust bakes, mix together the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Set aside.
  3. Mix together the peeled and diced apples, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  4. In your food processor (no need to clean it first), combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and cold butter.
  5. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust when it comes out of the oven. Then add the apples and finally the crumb topping.
  6. Bake it all up until the crumb top is golden brown!
one apple crisp cheesecake bar on a square of wax paper, dripping with caramel sauce with two more bars in the background

If You Don’t Have a Food Processor

If you don’t have a food processor, still make this recipe! It’s a good one.

As an alternative, use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients for the crust layer and the ingredients for the crumb topping.

How to Store these Cheesecake Bars

These bars cut best if you have let them completely cool first. It helps the cheesecake layer to really set and cut nicely.

After you take the bars out of the oven, let them cool enough to touch the pan without hot pads. Then cover them well with aluminum foil and refrigerate until fully set. Cut, and enjoy or store in the refrigerator for up to four days.

an overhead view of four apple cheesecake bars on wax paper on a circle wood platter

Adding Caramel Sauce

I highly recommend serving these with some caramel sauce on the side. They are incredible when you turn them into caramel apple cheesecake bars

Other Great Apple Recipes

If you are also headed apple picking and you need more great recipes for those apples, here are some of my favorites:

This Apple Pecan Fall Salad is super popular on the blog. Great for lunches or double it and bring it to a potluck.

I will eat this Naked Apple Spice Cake all year long, no need to just save it for fall!

And of course you must make my Apple Carrot Zucchini Muffins. They are super popular and the kids love them.

If you make any of these recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know! And go out and buy Christi’s amazing book!

stack of two apple crumble cheesecake bars on a square of wax paper on a wood platter
one apple crisp cheesecake bar on a square of wax paper, dripping with caramel sauce with two more bars in the background
5 from 3 votes

Apple Cheesecake Bars

Serves: 16 bars
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
These Apple Cheesecake Bars are a delicious and easy treat that are going to become a family favorite. Buttery brown sugar crust, great apple cheesecake middle and delicious crumble topping!

Ingredients

Crust Layer

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 3/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes

Cheesecake Layer

  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened (2 8 ounce pacakges)
  • 1/2 cup (pluse 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

Apple Layer

  • 3 medium apples peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup quick cook oats
  • 1/3 cup cold butter cut into cubes
  • caramel sauce for serving optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cookign spray and set aside.
  • In a food processor, combine 2 cups all purpose flour, brown sugar, and cold butter until you get a crumb like texture.
  • Press into the bottom of the 9 by 13 inch pan and bake for 15 minutes.
  • While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese utnil light and fluffy. Add in 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined.
  • In a medium bowl combine the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine.
  • In the food processor (no need to clean it first) combine 3/4 flour, brown sugar, oats, and 1/3 cup cold butter until just combined.
  • Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust, taking caution as the crust and baking dish will be very hot after 15 minutes in the oven. Next sprinkl the apple mixture on top. Finally sprinkle on the crumb topping.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes uncovered or until the entire top is a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool compltely before slicing. Store in the refrigerator, covered. Enjoy with caramel sauce on top!
Serving: 1bar Calories: 415kcal (21%) Carbohydrates: 47g (16%) Protein: 5g (10%) Fat: 23g (35%) Saturated Fat: 14g (88%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 85mg (28%) Sodium: 105mg (5%) Potassium: 106mg (3%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 29g (32%) Vitamin A: 193IU (4%) Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) Calcium: 47mg (5%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
one apple crisp cheesecake bar on a square of wax paper, dripping with caramel sauce with two more bars in the background

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Apple Cheesecake Bars

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Christi says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe so much! Thank you for sharing!

  2. Molly says

    These look so so good. I am making them immediately for my fiance’s weekly pot luck. Any advice in single serving cook time? If i bake these in muffin tins with liners would the bake time and/or temp vary at all?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I haven’t tried them that way, so I can’t say for sure, but I think that if you do about 15 to 20 minutes they will be good. Make sure that the topping is nice and golden brown.

  3. Cindy says

    Has anyone tried this recipe with a traditional streusel topping? I’m philosophically opposed to putting oatmeal in a crumble topping. Would it bake up as well without the oatmeal?

  4. Sara says

    5 stars
    It is really delicious.

    • Lisa Longley says

      So glad you liked these Sara!

  5. Amy says

    5 stars
    Delicious
    (I did not have a food processor-so I used a pastry cutter)
    Still yummy!
    Also, I only used 1 eight ounce block of cream cheese, but made the adjustment on the sugar for that part.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked this!

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