Dive into fall with these incredibly scrumptious No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with a Biscoff pecan crust.
No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Apple season is just around the corner, so get ready to grab your favorite tart apples (I love Granny Smith) to make these super easy, incredibly delicious No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars. With an apple pie topping and homemade caramel spilling over the edges of the cheesecake filling and Biscoff pecan crust, these easy fall dessert bars are the perfect way to kick off this glorious season (which, yes, I know isn’t technically here… but I’m diving in!).
The Best Fall Dessert Bars
I love fall-inspired cakes, as well as fall-inspired baked goods of any kinds. One of my favorite fall dessert flavors is apple. I’ve used it in my Caramel Apple Cake, my Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake, and my French Apple Pie Cake. I also have it in two new cakes I’ll be sharing soon: Apple Ricotta Bacon Cake and Almond Apple Caramel Cake. Apples just pair well with so many things!
And while all these fun cake flavors are drool-worthy, sometimes it’s nice to have the option of an easy-to-make, quick-to-whip-up recipe on hand for any occasion or any season. This easy fall dessert bar recipe is one you can make in less than an hour, days ahead of your event, and/or with any kind of fruit topping. It’s simple and versatile!
What’s In No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
These beauties are made up of a Biscoff cookie and pecan crust, cheesecake filling, apple pie topping and homemade salted caramel.
Ingredients
To make these no-bake cheesecake bars, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Biscoff cookies
- Pecans
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Heavy whipping cream
- Lemon juice
- Tart apples
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Corn syrup
- Salt
How to Make No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Line an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment runs up the sides of the pan so you can easily remove the bars from the pan.
- Combine Biscoff cookies, pecans, sugar and melted butter in a food processor. Pulse for a few minutes, until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Press the crust into the pan firmly.
- You’ll then whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks and then set aside while you mix the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice together.
- Once the cream cheese mixture is smooth, you’ll then fold in the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the apple pie topping, you’ll skin the apples, dice them, and then combine them over the stove with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until just softened. Drain the extra juices. Refrigerate to cool.
- For the caramel, you’ll combine the sugar, water and corn syrup over the stove. Cooking on medium heat, the sugar mixture will start to cook. Once it becomes an amber color, remove from heat, slowly add the cream, vanilla and salt.
- Once all of the elements are made and cooled to room temperature, you’ll layer the bars.
Don’t you love that you don’t have to turn on your oven?!
How to Serve and Store
These bars are best served cold. Make sure you allow time for the bars to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I recommend refrigerating them for a few hours, or even overnight. However, I understand it’s hard to wait. When I first made these, I only waited an hour and they were delicious. I also tried them again the next day and liked them even more!
You can store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.
Nut Replacement
Can’t do nuts? No worries! Just replace the amount of nuts with more Biscoff cookies. To get the nutty flavor without the nuts, you can then brown your butter!
More Fall Desserts
- Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Cake
- Caramel Apple Cake
- Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 20 (160 g) Biscoff Cookies
- 1 cup (100 g) pecans
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
For the Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 blocks
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
For the Apple Pie Topping
- 3 cups (450 g) chopped apples I used Granny Smith
- juice of half a lemon
- 3 tablespoons (37.5 g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon (2.1 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.1 g) ground nutmeg
For the Caramel
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (120 g) water
- 4 tablespoons (80 g) light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup (180 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
Instructions
For the Crust
- Line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper, making sure the parchment paper runs up the sides of the pan. Spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a food process or blender, combine the cookies, pecans, and sugar. Pulse until the mixture resembles sand.
- Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Evenly and firmly press the crust into the pan. Refrigerate while you make the other elements.
For the Cheesecake
- In a medium size mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. About 2 minutes. Set aside.
- In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the heavy whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spread the cheesecake over the crust with a spoon or offset icing spatula. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to add the apples and caramel.
For the Apple Pie Topping
- Combine the apples and lemon juice in a medium bowl and toss to coat the apples.
- In a large saucepan, combine the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over medium heat.
- Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Drain the extra juices and refrigerate the apples to cool. Once cooled, spread over the cheesecake layer of the bars.
For the Caramel
- Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then stop stirring.
- You want the mixture to cook on its own. Stirring creates crystallization.
- Once the mixture turns amber in color, remove from heat and slowly add the cream, while stirring the caramel.
- Add the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
- Cool to room temperature before drizzling the caramel over the apples.
- Once the bars are assemble, refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Hello, this recipe looks delicious 🙂 Can you tell me what kind of cream cheese should I use? I mean should it be salted one like for example Philadelphia cheese?
Yep!
Not sure which sugar to use for the apple filling. Instructions say brown sugar but ingredients only lists granulated sugar for the apple filling. Wish me luck. Let me know for the next time.
Brown sugar. It’s fixed!
Made this and everyone really liked it!
These bars are to die for! I mean seriously. It’s everything you want in a dessert. Sweet, salty and just the perfect fall dessert. I made them once and am making them again for a family get together tomorrow and know they will be the hit of the night. SO good!!
Thank you so much!!
Oh my gosh Courtney! These were absolutely amazing. We went apple picking so I’ve been on the hunt for good recipes. I decided to make this for my grandmother’s birthday and everyone was in heaven! The combo is out of this world. My hubby doesn’t even like cheesecake but he loved these!
I love this recipe…this is my go to cheesecake recipe.🤩🤩
I like that taste like cheesecake, I’ve other recipes but nah..😑
This is the bestttttt 💯 👏
So happy you love it!
Could the crust he made without pecans? I have a little one with a nut allergy.
Of course.
I made this for dinner last night and it was really good! It’s definitely soggy the next day so I think I prefer it fresh on the first day. The crust got soggy and the cream cheese layer is starting to break down from the moisture of the apples and caramel. Also, I must’ve missed the part about peeling the apples. Next time I’ll do that. It’s okay with the skin on but the skin is a little more tough. The pics on the recipe look like they’re peeled but I didn’t pay attention and my daughter was helping me cut the apples but next time I’ll peel them for sure!