I seriously regret not getting a picture of these squares but I didn’t. The picture really does make them irresistable to try so I’ll use the author’s photo (stamped with her site name and with lots of links back and recognition)… hopefully that’s okay.
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See? What’d I tell you?
With the words “caramel” and “cheesecake” in the title, could this really go wrong? The answer is no.
These squares are basically a cheesecake in bar form, which I find much easier to bake (surely I’m not the only one who has a mini heart attack wondering if her cheesecake is baked in the middle?). If the sweet streusel topping and cheesecake center isn’t rich enough for you, the drizzle of caramel sauce on top will definitely do it.
It’s friggy but so worth the effort. Here is the original recipe over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe… I didn’t change a thing.
INGREDIENTS
Base:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
Cream Cheese Layer:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
Caramel Topping:
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup half-and-half or cream
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For apples: In a small bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg.
For streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
For the base: In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9×13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
For the cream cheese layer: While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour over the warm crust.
Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.
Cool to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping or plate individual slices and drizzle with caramel topping.
For caramel topping: Mix butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate. Reheat to serve.
