Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
Apple crisp cheesecake bars are a mash up of two delicious desserts. The bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust, creamy cheesecake layer, apple cinnamon filling, and cinnamon streusel crisp topping. A delicious dessert that is perfect for fall!
Ingredients for Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
Shortbread Crust
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Cubed, at room temperature.
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great vanilla flavor to the cheesecake filling.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- Apples – My favorite baking apples are Crispin, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Gala, Jonagold, or Pink Lady apples. You will want to use an apple that is tart, crisp, and firm. For this recipe, I used Crispin. Peel and roughly chop the apples.
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour – A bit of flour helps to soak up additional moisture let out by the apples during the baking process.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds great warm flavor to the apples.
Cinnamon Streusel
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature, cubed butter.
How to Make Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Prepare a 9×9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- Bake the shortbread crust: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cubed, room temperature butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes and set aside to cool.
- Make the cheesecake filling: Cream the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the egg and mix until the filling is smooth and creamy. Spread the cream cheese mixture into the pre-baked crust.
- Make the apple filling: Stir together the chopped apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Spread the apples in an even layer on the cheesecake filling.
- Make the cinnamon streusel: Stir together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter and mix until the mixture binds together and becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble topping in an even layer over the apple layer.
- Bake the cheesecake bars: Bake the apple crisp cheesecake bars for about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the bars in the pan to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Recipe Tips
- To easily remove the bars from the pan, line the baking pan with parchment paper sheets. Cut the sheets so they fit along the bottom of the pan and extend past the top edges of the pan. To remove the bars, simply lift up on the parchment paper.
- Be sure to select a variety of apple that is good for baking like Crispin, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith apples, or Golden Delicious apples. Whatever variety of apple you use for apple pie will work well in this recipe.
- Be sure to chill the bars for at least 4 hours before cutting. Chilling helps the cheesecake set up which will help you create clean and even cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the bars?
- These bars are best enjoyed within 1 or 2 days. The streusel topping will lose it’s crispness the longer they sit. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Add a drizzle of salted caramel sauce to take this dessert over the top.
Why do you bake the crust before adding the filling?
- Baking the crust before adding the filling is called “blind baking”. This prevents the shortbread crust from becoming soggy after adding the filling.
How should I store the bars?
- The yield depends on the size you cut the bars. For larger bars, cut 3×3 squares to yield 9 bars. If you want the bars a bit smaller, I recommend cutting 16 squares that are a little over 2×2.
Other Apple Recipes You Will Love
- Apple crisp bars
- Caramel apple cupcakes
- Apple crisp cupcakes
- Caramel apple dessert cups
- Apple crumb muffins
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Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
Yield: 9 servings
Apple crisp cheesecake bars are a mash up of two delicious desserts. The bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust, creamy cheesecake layer, apple cinnamon filling, and cinnamon streusel crisp topping. A delicious dessert that is perfect for fall!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter room temperature
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz (227 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 3 cups (375 g) apples peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp (24 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (8 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) cinnamon
Cinnamon Streusel
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) cinnamon
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Prepare a 9×9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the cubed, room temperature unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed for a few minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Pour the shortbread crumbs into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the baking pan with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or drinking glass.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the crust while you prepare the remaining components.
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the egg and mix until the cheesecake filling is well combined and smooth. Use an offset spatula to spread the vanilla cheesecake filling in an even layer over the baked shortbread crust.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the peeled and chopped apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Spread the apples in an even layer on the top of the cheesecake filling.
Cinnamon Streusel
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Add in the cubed, unsalted butter and mix on low speed until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel over the apple cinnamon layer.
Bake the Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
- Bake the apple crisp cheesecake bars for 35 to 40 minutes until the apples are soft, the cheesecake is set, and the cinnamon streusel is golden-brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the bars in the pan to room temperature. Cover and chill the bars for at least 4 hours before slicing into squares.
Notes
Apple crisp cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Can you freeze these?!
Hi Regina! I actually haven’t tried freezing these bars, so I can’t say for certain how well they freeze. If you try it out, I recommend cutting the bars into squares and wrapping them well with plastic wrap and foil. The crumble topping may not stay as crisp after being frozen.
These were a hit! Perfect combination of two of my favorite desserts. Easy to make. I will add that I do like watching the video just to make sure I am doing things right.
Amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for trying it out and leaving a positive review! These are one of my personal favorites too!