If you like cheesecake and apple pie but can’t choose between the two, this recipe for Apple Almond Cheesecake Bars is a good compromise. It’s a cross between the two with almonds, lemon and apple – a little of everything.
Apple Almond Cheesecake Bars Notes
The recipe is from one of Fine Cooking’s special publications “Sweet Cakes”. Their photo looks more like an apple bar, but mine seems more like a cheesecake bar that just happens to have some apple in it. The apples don't add as much flavor as I'd expected but the bars are still very good. They tast even better on day 2 and the lemon flavor seemed more pronounced.
Fine cooking posted the recipe here, but the link no longer works because Fine Cooking is no more. I've paraphrased the recipe below. It looks lengthy, but it's actually not too difficult.
More Apple Recipes
Here are a few more apple recipes from Cookie Madness. The Apple Crumb Bars are very good and have received great reviews over the years.
Recipe
Apple Almond Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, well softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese, well softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp. pure almond extract
- ⅔ cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped plus a few more as needed
Filling
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Pinch salt
- 1 lb. Braeburn, Gala, or Rome apples, peeled, cored and cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices (to yield 2-½ cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper or non-stick foil.
- First, reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour and 2 tablespoons of each of the sugar and set aside to be used in the topping.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and almond extract with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the ¼ cup each of the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until blended, scraping as needed. Add the 1 ¼ cups flour, the salt, plus ⅓ cup of the almonds and beat on medium low just until the flour is absorbed and the mixture starts to come together in clumps.
- Set aside about ⅔ cup of the mixture to be used for topping, then press the remaining into the prepared pan in a thin but even layer. Prick it all over with a fork. Bake until the crust is golden, especially around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on.
- While the crust bakes, add the 2 Tbs. reserved flour and 2 tablespoons each of the granulated and brown sugars to the reserved dough. Mix with your fingertips until well combined and then squeeze the dough together into one clump (you'll be breaking it into clumps again for the topping).
- Make the cream cheese filling.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
- Spread the apple slices evenly on the bottom crust and pour the cream cheese filling on top, gently spreading it with a rubber spatula to cover the apples.
- Crumble the remaining dough on top. The pieces can be fairly large, about the size of a cherry, and the topping needn't completely cover the filling. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds plus any additional to make it look good.
- Bake until the topping and almonds are light golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the bars cool in the pan until warm, about 30 minutes. Remove from the pan using the parchment or foil sling and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Transfer the bars, still on the parchment, to a cutting board. Slide a long metal spatula between the bars and parchment to separate them, and then slide the parchment out.
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets says
I made these last year after reading about them on another blog. FANTASTIC! Thanks for reminding me of these delicious treats.
Hendria says
These sound really good..... 🙂 Nice photo....
Scorpio Woman says
yummy! I already made a recipe that looked like this one and it was so good.
Dee says
I baked this as an extra Thanksgiving treat. I didn't have any lemon juice so I used orange extract. It is delicious. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.
National Cookie Network says
To the first comment: If you use frozen blueberries, they won't release as much juice initially. It makes them much easier to bake with.
Gloria says
I just took another one of your Browned Butter Pecan Pies out of the oven. It looks and smells fabulous! It is less jiggly than the last one I made last week-my oven isn't the greatest so I needed to keep it in longer...BTW, these bars look delicious too! Have a happy TG everyone!
Maren Madsen says
Oh - I wish I had seen this post sooner. I would have made this as one of our Thanksgiving desserts instead of pie! Oh well - next year.
Katrina says
Mmm!
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving! I'm making your cherry/berry pie!
Sue says
Gosh! I think yours look a lot like Fine Cooking's do, but whether they're apple cheesecake, or cheesecake apple, they look very good.
I'm in the midst of Thanksgiving Day preparations and have already made a major baking error. I made cornbread for cornbread stuffing and forgot to add the melted butter. I was upset but when it came out of the oven it seemed fine. Then I read the recipe and when the stuffing is mixed it calls for another 8 oz. of butter. I decided we wouldn't miss the butter in the cornbread after all.
Back to baking.
Dolce says
This is something that could totally be served on Thanksgiving day - so people can nibble during the afternoon. I am still sticking to tarte Bourdaloue, though 🙂
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
Look incredible! I bet it tastes even better.
Louise says
I hope this isn't taking away from your Turkey Day preparations. 🙂
Lisa Ernst says
This is an interesting departure and looks very good. I wonder if blueberries could be substituted? That would probably change the texture quite a bit, with the added juiciness from the berries. I do love the combo of lemon, blueberry and cream cheese.Still, I think I would enjoy these "as is."