Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

It's recipe swap time!  Twice a month, the swappers on my favorite cooking board come up with a new theme, submit a recipe and swap. We each make a recipe and blog it, then everyone's recipes are shared on a roundup post on A Taste of Home Cooking blog. This is my first time joining the group, and the theme is Apples/Pumpkin - a great theme to start, right?!

I made Ellie's recipe swap, from The Wanna Be Cook.  This Paula Deen recipe is a winner that is sure to please all apple lovers.  I took the advice of several reviewers and made extra filling (as listed below in measurements). Next time, I will go with the original recipe, only because my 9x13 pan was filled to the very brim with the extra filling and then the streusel on top of that. Maybe I need a deeper dish? I ended up baking the crust an extra 5-10 minutes until it turned a golden brown, and baked the cheesecake for 30 min, but could have gone just a bit longer because the filling was still very soft. Overall a nice change from my favorite pumpkin recipes.

View the full round-up at A Taste of Home Cooking

Source: Paula Deen

Ingredients:
 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping.

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

Yield: approximately 3 cups

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeliciousMeliscious/~3/HcBDLyM6VqY/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html

royal wedding psn playstation