Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

The other day I was searching for a dessert to make for our Christmas dinner at my parents house. I wanted something I could put together easily and make ahead of time. I was searching and now I am searching no more because I’ve found all that I was looking for in this delicious treat.

Let me describe each layer of this amazing dessert for you: it all starts with a chewy oatmeal cookie-like crust on the bottom, then a smooth and delicious cream cheese filling with chunks of yummy cinnamon & nutmeg apples scattered all over, then a crumbly and crunchy topping with pecans, and finally a delicious warm and salty caramel sauce drizzled all over!

Sounds pretty good, huh?

It might seem like a lot of steps, but it's actually really easy and tastes amazing!

Check out Sweet As Sugar Cookies blog for a whole list of yummy treats!!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars 
Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

Crust & Streusel:

1 package Oatmeal Cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

1/2 cup butter, cold (1 stick)

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Cheesecake Filling:

2 packages cream cheese (8 oz each), softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Apples:

3 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar

Caramel Sauce:

15-20 caramel candies, unwrapped

2 tbsp milk

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil.
• Place cookie mix in large bowl. With a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture Press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over crust.  
• In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cookie crumb topping. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
• Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. 
• Add unwrapped caramel candies with milk and salt in a microwaveable bowl. Cook on high, 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir occasionally until caramel is melted and smooth. 
• Cut into bars and serve each with drizzled caramel sauce.