Apple Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For The Crust:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 cups flour
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 4 lady apples large Pink, peeled, cored, sliced, and diced
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 mascarpone cheese tubs Italian, or 8-oz. packages cream cheese or 1 of each cheese. Note: Mascarpone cheese offers a sweeter tasting filling
- 2 jumbo eggs
For the Topping:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats do not use steel-cut
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup praline chopped, coated pecans
Garnish:
- caramel sauce fresh or store-bought
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- With foil, line a 3 X 9" baking pan. Allow excess foil to hang over the sides of the pan.
For the Crust:
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a hand-held mixer on medium speed until creamy.
- Add the flour and salt, beating until combined.
- Press this mixture into the foil-lined pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl, mix apples, 1 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
- Place the apple mixture in a colander that is set over a bowl, allow to stand for 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir.
- While crust is cooling and apples are draining, in another large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, eggs, and 1/2 cup of sugar with a handheld mixer at medium speed until smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the cooled crust.
- Spread drained apples on top of cheese mixture.
For the Topping:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup oats, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, and 1 cup chopped praline pecans.
- Sprinkle on top of apples.
- Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until the center is set.
- Allow to cool in the pan and then refrigerate until cold.
- Using foil as handles, remove the cheesecake and cut into bars.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce.