Caramel Apple Cheesecake

If you want to have the winning dessert that everybody will remember you for, this caramel apple cheesecake is the one! It is absolutely to die for!

It’s the perfect combination with flavors of plain and simple cheesecake filling, sugar and cinnamon, and apple pie all mixed together into one amazing dessert!

I have always loved baking and I can vividly remember when I learned to make cheesecakes. It was something I did not grow up learning how to make and when I’d ask family members about making cheesecakes, I’d usually get the quick answer “it’s too much of a hassle.”

Well I am the sort of baker who appreciates a bit of a challenge, especially when it is something that turns out delicious. It’s a little disappointing when you go through all the work only to find out it’s not even that good.

So anyways, after I decided I was going to attempt making cheesecakes, I quickly learned they really are not that difficult. They take a bit more time than a regular cake of course, but for how good they are, it’s worth all of the effort!

And this caramel apple cheesecake recipe was one of the best first cheesecakes I ever made and has since continued to be a favorite!

How to Make a Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups Cinnamon Graham Crackers (about 10 whole crackers)

1/4 cup Sugar

5 tbsp. Buter, melted

Caramel Mixture:

10 oz. Bag of Kraft Caramels (about 35 wrapped caramels)

2/3 cup Evaporated Milk

Filling:

2 (8 oz.) Packages of Cream Cheese, softened

2 tbsp. Sour Cream

1 tbsp. Corn Starch

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

Apple Mixture:

1 1/2 cups Finely Chopped Apples

1 tbsp. Flour

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (for cheesecake topping and crust topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a greased 9 inch springform pan on a double piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, then wrap it around the pan securely.

Then cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the bottom of your springform pan and place it in the bottom. This will help the crust not stick to the pan.

Use a food processor and grind up the graham crackers, or put them in a double zip lock bag and crush them up.

In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and melted butter. Stir until it’s well combined and the crumbs are sticking together. If the mixture seems too dry, add another tablespoon of melted butter.

Then pour the mixture into the bottom of your greased pan and firmly press down. Then put the pan into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. After baking, remove from oven and set aside.

Next, in a saucepan over medium heat cook caramels and evaporated milk until the caramel is fully melted. Be sure to stir frequently so the caramel does not stick to the pan and burn.

Pour 1 cup of the caramel sauce over the graham cracker crust and then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of chopped pecans. Set remaining caramel sauce aside.

Peel the apples and chop them very small. I like to use my Vidalia Chopper because it is quick and chops the apples into the perfect size.

Then add the apples to a bowl with one tablespoon of sugar and flour and one teaspoon of cinnamon, stir, and set aside.

Next, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, corn starch, and sugar. Mix until completely smooth. Then add in eggs and slightly mix, don’t overmix.

Add apple mixture into cream cheese mixture and gently stir together.

Then pour mixture onto graham cracker crust.

Prepare your water bath by filling a large baking dish with 2 cups of boiling water. Then set your springform pan wrapped in foil into the water. The water should be about 1 inch up the side of the pan.

Place the water bath with cheesecake into your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.

After baking, reheat the remaining caramel sauce and gently spoon over the top of the cheesecake to create a caramel topping. Then sprinkle with the leftover chopped pecans.

Put it back into the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 1 hour, then carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the edges before removing the springform pan.

If the cheesecake seems to stick to the sides, cool longer or place it in the fridge for another hour before removing the springform pan.

The cheesecake is ready to serve after about 6 hours of being chilled, although I prefer to keep it in the fridge up to 24 hours before serving so it is perfectly chilled all the way through.

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