The Best Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes
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You’ll be making these mini caramel apple cheesecakes all autumn long! With graham cracker crust, cinnamon cheesecake filling, homemade salted caramel sauce, and spiced apple pie topping, these little treats are beyond decadent. And, everyone gets their own little cheesecake for easy serving. So cute!
It’s the first week of straight 70-something degree weather in Reno and bless it. I mean, how unfair that the grocery stores are filled with cinnamon-scented broomsticks and pumpkins when it’s still lake weather? Absolutely uncouth.
So now that I’m feeling a little cozier and a little less overheated, it just feels right to turn on the oven and whip up a batch of apple pie spice. Because it’s apple season and that means I am in the prime mood for apple hand pies and mini apple crumbles. And now that Halloween is right around the corner? You guessed it. Caramel apple everything.
As a trained pastry chef, I’ve had many good and much more bad cheesecakes. But I promise not to do that to you here. These minis are the perfect cheesecake situation! They have the creamiest cinnamon filling, homemade salted caramel, and a good dose of apple pie vibes.
No really, these cheesecakes are the best
For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like cheesecake but it turns out that I was just eating a lot of bad ones. But after working on my recipe for years and years, I totally get the hype. And this autumn version is everything I love about the season. Apples! Caramel! Warm spices! I could eat these every day.
- This recipe is so much easier than a whole cheesecake.
- I’ve included a few hacks and shortcuts for an even simpler, quicker recipe.
- The crust-to-filling ratio is high. (For all you crust lovers like me!)
- Since they make individual servings, these cheesecakes are amazing for parties & holidays.
Ingredient notes
Graham cracker crust
- Graham crackers – I personally love a good graham cracker crust. I use the honey grahams. But feel free to use any other cookie you like!
- Sugar – you’ll need just a touch of sugar to sweeten the crust.
- Butter – melted unsalted butter holds the crust together so it’s easy to press.
Cheesecake filling + topping
- Butter – softened butter makes the cheesecake light and fluffy.
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar works great here. It also breaks up the cream cheese which keeps the filling from being too dense!
- Cream cheese – you will need full-fat cream cheese for this recipe, trust me!
- Sour cream – again, use full-fat for the best results.
- Spices – you’ll need cinnamon for the filling and apple pie spice for the topping.
- Vanilla – make sure it’s 100% pure vanilla extract.
- Eggs – this is an essential ingredient in cheesecake because it helps the filling set and gives it that silky texture.
- Apples – for the topping! I like Honeycrisp the best but gala, Granny Smith, or pink lady apples are good too.
- Brown sugar – a little brown sugar helps sweeten the filling. Dark or light will work.
- Kosher salt – to offset the sweetness. I use Morton’s Kosher salt.
- Caramel sauce – I’ll include a recipe below but store-bought will also work great! Just use something good-quality because it makes a big difference in the taste of the cheesecakes.
Cheesecake pan
If you make individual cheesecakes a lot, it’s totally worth investing in a mini cheesecakes pan. I got mine at Williams Sonoma but you can also find a pan on Amazon. The removable bottoms make it so much easier to get the cheesecakes out!
If you don’t want to buy anything, it’s totally ok. A standard cupcake pan will work great in this recipe. You’ll just want to use cupcake liners so you can get the cheesecakes out of the pan!
How to make caramel sauce
If you can’t find a good caramel sauce, don’t sweat it. Homemade is surprisingly easy!
- Pour the sugar in a heavy-bottom sauce pan and place it over medium-low heat.
- Stir the sugar frequently to keep it from burning. It will clump up at first but keep going.
- After a few minutes, the sugar will be melted and a deep amber color.
- Once the caramel is melted, remove it from the heat and add the butter.
- Then, stir in the heavy cream until the caramel is nice and smooth.
- Lastly, add the salt and vanilla extract. Pour the caramel into a bowl & cool.
When you add the butter to the hot sugar, the caramel is going to bubble and splatter. That’s totally normal! Just keep stirring until the butter is melted.
Graham cracker crust
- Place the graham crackers into a food processor and blend the crackers into fine crumbs.
- Add the sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of salt.
- Blend everything together until it forms a dough.
No food processor? You can also place the graham crackers in a zipper bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Then, mix the crust together by hand.
- Spoon the crust evenly into the cups of the pan.
- Then, use a spoon or clean hands to press the crusts until they’re firmly packed.
- Bake the crusts at 325°F (163°C) for 5-6 minutes. Cool completely.
Cream cheese filling & bake
- First, add the butter and sugar to a bowl and mix it together with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add the room temperature cream cheese to the butter-sugar mixture.
- Next, beat the filling until it’s light and creamy.
- Add the sour cream, cinnamon, & vanilla extract.
- Then, add the eggs and beat just until the filling is combined.
Don’t over-mix the eggs into cheesecake filling or it will come out dense and crumbly. You want to mix everything together just until there are no more streaks of egg!
- Divid the cheesecake batter evenly between the cooled crusts. I used a #60 cookie scoop.
- Then, use a butter knife to smooth the tops evenly.
- Lastly, bake the cheesecakes at 325°F (163°C) for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
Apple pie topping
- Start by melting the butter over medium heat.
- Then, add the apples, brown sugar, apple pie spice, & a pinch of salt.
- Sauté until the apples are softened, about 6-7 minutes.
Assemble and enjoy!
- Right before serving, top each cheesecake with a Tablespoon or so of caramel sauce.
- Then, add a spoonful of the warm apple topping. Enjoy right away!
My favorite water bath hack
A lot of mini cheesecake recipes don’t use a water bath, but I always do just to make sure the filling comes out as creamy as possible! But, you don’t even have to use a traditional water bath.
Instead, fill a cake pan with water and place it on the rack under the cheesecake pan. The heat from the oven will create steam which will make for super creamy, silky cheesecakes!
When are the cheesecakes done?
The cheesecakes are ready when they’re set on the edges but still a little jiggly in the center. They’ll jiggle around like Jell-O! It’s really easy to over-bake mini cheesecakes so start checking for doneness early.
Keep the tops from cracking
This is a little trick I learned in pastry school! The key to cheesecakes without cracks is to cool it properly. To do this, just turn off the oven, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecakes cool in the oven for about 1 hour. The cheesecakes will cool slowly which keeps the tops from breaking apart.
After that, you can cover the cheesecakes and cool them in the fridge until they’re completely set. This should take about 2-4 hours.
Storing & make-ahead tips
The cheesecakes taste best with warm apple topping so I like to assemble them right before serving. Just place the cheesecakes in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also make the apple pie topping in advance and store it in the fridge.
Right before serving, microwave the caramel sauce until it’s drizzly, about 30 seconds. Then, warm the apple topping in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until it’s hot. Assemble the cheesecakes and enjoy!
I think the cheesecakes taste best when they’re room temperature. Just take them out of the fridge about about 20-30 minutes before assembling.
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
The Best Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (86 grams)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (120 milliliters)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (86 grams)
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Cinnamon Cheesecake Filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28 grams)
- 2/3 cup sugar (132 grams)
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (454 grams)
- 2/3 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (152 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Apple Pie Topping
- 1 pound Honeycrisp apples (454 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (14 grams)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (52 grams)
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Equipment
- Mini cheesecake pan or a standard cupcake pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Instructions
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Pour the sugar into a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often. At first, the sugar will clump up but after a few minutes, it will melt completely and turn a deep amber color. Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.
- Once the sugar is melted, remove the pot from the heat. Immediately whisk in the butter until the mixture is smooth. Work carefully, because the caramel will bubble up and splatter. Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and the Kosher salt. Stir quickly until the caramel is silky and smooth. Taste and add more Kosher salt if desired. Pour the caramel into a bowl and let it cool.
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan with butter or baking spray. Or, you can use a standard cupcake pan. Line the cupcake pan with paper cups for easy removal. (See the Recipe Notes for more details on using a standard cupcake pan.)
- Add the graham cracker sheets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have semi-fine crumbs. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs (148 grams). Add the sugar, melted butter, and a big pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture until the graham crackers are finely ground and you have a thick dough.
- Evenly divide the graham cracker mixture into the mini cheesecake cups, about 2 Tablespoons per cup (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons per cupcake liner). Using a spoon or clean fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the crusts are toasty and light golden-brown. Let the crusts cool while you prepare the filling.
Cinnamon Cheesecake Filling
- Fill a cake pan (or another oven-safe pan) with a few inches of water. Set aside.
- Pour the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is sandy. Add the cream cheese and beat until the cream cheese is light and fluffy.
- Add the sour cream, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Then, add the eggs and beat just until the filling is mixed together. Using a #60 cookie scoop, evenly divide the filling between the cooled crusts. Use a butter knife to smooth the filling over the crusts.
- Place the mini cheesecake pan (or cupcake pan) on the middle rack of the oven and set the pan of water on the rack under the mini cheesecakes. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit jiggly like Jell-O!
- Once the cheesecakes are baked, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the mini cheesecakes cool for 1 hour in the oven. (This will keep the tops of the cheesecakes from cracking.) Then, cover the pan and refrigerate the cheesecakes for about 2-4 hours or until the filling is completely set.
Apple Pie Topping
- Peel and core the apples. Then, dice them into small cubes (about 1/2-inch).
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, apple pie spice, and a pinch of salt. Sauté the apples until the apples are tender and the sugar is bubbling, about 6-7 minutes. Use the topping right away or store & refrigerate it for later.
Assemble the Cheesecakes
- Right before serving, carefully remove each mini cheesecake from the pan. Use a thin butter knife to carefully cut the cheesecakes away from the sides of the pan if needed.
- Then, top each chilled cheesecake with about 1 Tablespoon of caramel sauce followed by about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of warm apple pie topping. Serve the cheesecakes immediately. Enjoy!
