Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert recipe! Featuring a shortbread crust, spiced apple cheesecake layer, streusel topping, and caramel sauce… they’re pure decadence. Bake and cool the cheesecake, then drizzle with caramel before serving!

Here’s a recipe you’ll make over and over again this holiday season! This apple cheesecake bar recipe is simple and straightforward… but it produces SHOW-STOPPING results. And everyone knows bar desserts are perfect for serving a crowd, so that’s another win for this recipe.

But the main reason you’ll make these over and over again? They’re just so delicious. The flavors and textures in this recipe are just insane!

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Cheesecake

• Cream Cheese: Full-fat brick style cream cheese works best for this recipe. Make sure your cream cheese is nice and soft – room temperature – before using it in this recipe.
• Sour Cream: If you can’t find sour cream, plain full-fat Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
• Heavy Cream: Aka whipping cream, do not replace this with half and half or milk.
• Sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar in the creamy cheesecake batter, and light brown sugar for the spiced apples.
• Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs as well as egg yolks in this recipe. Use large variety eggs and bring them to room temperature. You’ll want to add the eggs one at a time and beat them on low speed.
• Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use pure vanilla extract, or bourbon vanilla extract, but not artificial or imitation vanilla.
• Flour: A small amount of all-purpose flour helps thicken the creamy cheesecake batter. I don’t suggest using any other variety of flour.
• Spices: Along with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves make our spiced apples absolutely delicious. If you only have apple pie spice on hand, just use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of that instead.
• Apples: I used Granny Smith apples in this recipe. But you can sub any apple variety you enjoy baking with! I’ve had success using pink lady apples and Honeycrisp apples.

Begin with the Shortbread Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 and degrees before you start making the crust.
• Use a 9×13-inch METAL or aluminized steel baking pan and be sure to line it with parchment paper. If you use a ceramic baking pan or glass baking pan you’ll need to increase the baking time.
• You’ll need a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer to make the shortbread crust.
• Don’t worry yourself if the dough looks crumbly. Shortbread crust dough will be crumbly but will come together in the baking pan.
• Press the remaining crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. If you have a hard time pressing it into the pan, you can use a spoon.

Creamy Cheesecake Filling

• You’ll need a handheld electric mixer to make the creamy cheesecake filling. If you don’t have one, you can use a food processor or heavy-duty blender.
• Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you’re making the cheesecake filling. This ensures there’s no lumps or clumps lost at the bottom of the bowl.
• Once you add the eggs, be sure to beat the cheesecake filling on low speed. Beating on too high of speed will incorporate too much air into the batter. Which will cause the batter to rise in the oven, which we don’t want.

Brown Sugar Streusel Topping

• The easiest way to make the topping is by using a pastry blender. But if you don’t have one, you can use two forks or your fingers.
• You can make the streusel topping right before you bake the caramel apple cheesecake bars, or you can make it a few hours beforehand. Just cover the bowl and store in the fridge.
• Use your fingertips to really crumble up the topping before adding it on the cheesecake layer. You don’t want the clumps too large or they’ll sink into the creamy cheesecake batter.

Cheesecake Baking Tips

• You’ll bake the cheesecake at two different temperatures. After 20 minutes, make sure you reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• For the creamiest cheesecake, don’t over bake the cheesecake bars. The bars are ready to come out of the oven when the filling is set around the edges. But the center of the cheesecake bars are still a little jiggly. The filling will completely set in the fridge.
• You MUST chill these cheesecake bars before serving. After you remove the bars from the oven, cool them at room temperature for an hour. Then refrigerate for at least 5 hours, or overnight.

Let’s Talk Caramel Sauce

Want to learn how to make easy salted caramel sauce? I have this easy foolproof recipe! Made with six simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now! No candy thermometer required!

But if you’re not up for making homemade caramel sauce, use store-bought. I just suggest using a brand you know you enjoy. Nothing worse than delicious creamy cheesecake bars drizzled with caramel that tastes too sweet or artificial. You’ll need about a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of caramel sauce, depending on how much you plan on drizzling.