Description
A decadent dessert featuring a buttery graham cracker crust filled with rich cheesecake, tender cinnamon apples, crunchy streusel topping, and finished with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 12 oz (339g) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the Apple Layer:
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 1 medium Honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Homemade Salted Caramel:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the Streusel Topping:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Get your oven going at 350°F and grease that pie dish. I forgot this step exactly once and spent twenty minutes scraping cheesecake off the bottom of my dish.
Crush up those graham crackers (I use a rolling pin in a ziplock bag when my food processor is dirty), mix with sugar, melted butter, and salt. Should feel like damp sand. Press it down hard in your dish and bake 10 minutes.
Drop your oven to 325°F. Beat that cream cheese for ages – seriously, like 3-4 minutes until it’s completely smooth. Add sugar bit by bit, then eggs one at a time. Sour cream, vanilla, and flour go in last. Stop mixing once everything’s combined or you’ll get those annoying cracks.
Peel and chop your apples (I do this while the crust bakes to save time). Toss with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Your kitchen will smell like fall threw up in the best possible way.
Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cold butter chunks, and cinnamon with a fork until it looks crumbly. I always make extra because I eat half of it while I’m working.
Pour cheesecake mixture over your cooled crust. Scatter apples on top, drizzle with some caramel (save the rest for later), then sprinkle that crumb mixture over everything.
Bake for 45 minutes. It’s done when the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan – like barely-set jello.
Cool on the counter for an hour, then fridge for at least 2 hours. I know, I know, it’s torture. But trust me on this one.
Notes
Stop mixing the second you can’t see streaks – I overmixed my third attempt and it cracked like the Grand Canyon
The jiggle test saved my life – shake the pan gently and only the very center should wobble like jello
Do NOT open that oven door for the first 30 minutes no matter how curious you get – temperature shock equals ugly cracks
Make caramel when you’re not stressed – I usually do this the day before because attempting caramel while juggling everything else is asking for trouble
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American