Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Today is "National Cheesecake Day" and I am celebrating with these "Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars". 

When I saw that fellow blogger Roxana from Roxana's Home Baking was organizing a Cheesecake Day for bloggers, I knew I had to sign up!  Would you believe that over 65+ bloggers posted recipes for this today?  It seems as though we all really love our cheesecake!  Be sure to check out all of the great blogs at the bottom of this post for their cheesecake recipes!  

Now, let's get to the recipe, shall we?

I am a huge fan of all things cheesecake, though my husband, not so much.  He can take or leave desserts of the cheesecake variety, not preferring cream cheese in or on anything (it tastes too processed, says the guy who loves Cheese Whiz).  He does, however like anything that has to do with apples, especially apple pie/crumbles... throw homemade caramel sauce into the mix and I'll have literally just made his day.  I figured if I was going to get my cheesecake on today, I would have do it in a way that he would eat it too (this recipe makes 16 bars for goodness sake - I had to share with someone).  This recipe seems to have done the trick, and he took care of a couple of them for me right after they came out of the oven... for a cheesecake lover like myself, these were like a little slice of heaven.  

Ingredients

Crust

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 cup butter, softened

Filling

- 2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Apple Pie Topping

- 4 granny smith apples

- 1 tsp lemon juice

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 3/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Crumble Topping

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 3/4 cup oats

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup butter, softened

- 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce (either store-bought or homemade)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all of the ingredients for the crust, and flatten into a 9x13 baking pan lined with foil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. 

Combine ingredients for filling, whipping either with a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer.  Ensure all ingredients are well combined.  Pour onto warm crust. 

Core and finely chop apples.  Add lemon juice, sugar, and spices, and spoon evenly over cheesecake mixture. 

Combine ingredients for crumble topping and sprinkle ontop of apples. 

Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until cheesecake layer has set and crumble topping is golden brown. 

Drizzle with caramel sauce before serving. 

Baked Cheesecakes:

Apricot ricotta cheesecake from Diethood

Blackberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Baking a Moment

Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake from Hungry Couple

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake from Wishes and Dishes

Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Whisky Toffee Shards from girlichef

Chocolate chip cookie mini cheesecake from My Sweet Zepol

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake from Savvy Eats

Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust from All Day I Dream About Food

Hawaiian Chantilly Layer Cheesecake from Wallflour Girl

Hawaiian Mini Cheesecakes from Pint Sized Baker

Key Lime Pie Cheesecake from Love and Confections

Lemon Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets

Lemon Ginger Panna Cotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce from Girl Versus Dough

Lightened Up Apricot-Swirl Cheesecake from Take A Bite Out of Boca

Lilikoi Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Shortbread Crust from Dieter's Downfall

Mango Cheesecake (vegan) from Jessiker Bakes

Mini cheesecakes with a toasted coconut crust (gluten free) from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine

Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes with Strawberry Balsamic Topping from Boulder Locavore

Mom's Cheesecake from Magnolia Days

New York Style Cheesecake from URBAN BAKES

Oreo Cheesecake (vegan) from Namely Marly

Oreo Ripple Cheesecake from Overtime Cook

Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping from The Redhead Baker

Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind The Curtain

Rainbow Cheesecake from In Katrina's Kitchen

Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust from Hip Foodie Mom

Ricotta Cheesecake from French Press

Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Snickers Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar

Sugar cookie cheesecake from Munchkin Munchies

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from Wine & Glue

Very Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Oreo Crust from JavaCupcake

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel from Taste and Tell

White Chocolate Frangelico Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake from Will Cook For Smiles

No Bake Cheesecakes:

Berry Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love

Blackberry Cheesecake from You Made That?

Butter Pecan Caramel Mini Cheesecakes from Simply Southern Baking

Cherry and Pistachio Cheesecake with Animal Cracker Crust from Cravings of a Lunatic

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches from The Food Charlatan

Limoncello Cheesecake from Cake Duchess

Mini Lime Cheesecakes from Miss in the Kitchen

Neopolitan Cheesecake from Grandbaby Cakes

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from White Lights on Wednesday

Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

S'mores Cheesecake from The Gunny Sack

Cheesecake Beverages:

Black Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake from Blahnik Baker

Caramel Cheesecake Martini from Happy Food, Healthy Life

Cheesecake Cookies and Bars:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Cooking with Jax

Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life

Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Cookies from Lemons for Lulu

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Chez CateyLou

Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars from Texanerin Baking

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars from Cooking In Stilettos

No Bake Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars from Beyond Frosting

No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from Garnish with Lemon

Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust from Roxana's Home Baking

Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Bars from A Kitchen Addiction

Cheesecake Desserts and Treats:

Banana Foster No Bake Cheesecake Shooters from Mind Over Batter

Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies from Jen's Favorite Cookies

Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake from gotta get baked

Key Lime Trifles from Hoosier Homemade

Strawberry Cheesecake Pots from Barbara Bakes

Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart from From Brazil To You

Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:

Blackberry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream from Chocolate Moosey

Frozen PB&C Cheesecake from Noshing With The Nolands

Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutter Butter Crust from Crazy for Crust