Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Base

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (The original recipe calls for 2 but it needed more of the cheesecake layer)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples

• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup caramel sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
6. Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.
7. Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).