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 flaky apple hand pies and juicy mini apple crumbles. And now that Halloween is right around the corner? You guessed it. Caramel apple everything.
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. I mean, as a trained pastry chef, I’ve had many good and much more bad cheesecakes. But after working on my recipe for years and years, I totally get the hype.
These minis are the perfect cheesecake situation. And this autumn version is everything I love about the season. Apples! Caramel! Warm spices! I could eat these every day.
Use the right apples
Choosing the right apples makes a big difference. Looking for sweet-tart baking apples like Honeycrisp, gala, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady. You’ll also need graham crackers, sugar, and unsalted butter for crust. To make the filling, grab full-fat cream cheese, sour cream, cinnamon, apple pie spice, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, Kosher salt, and either store-bought or homemade caramel sauce.
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!
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
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.
Cream cheese filling & bake
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!
Apple pie topping
Assemble and enjoy!
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!
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.
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The Best Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 200 grams sugar (1 cup)
- 86 grams unsalted butter, softened (6 Tablespoons)
- 120 milliliters heavy whipping cream, room temperature (1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 50 grams sugar (1/4 cup)
- 86 grams unsalted butter, melted (6 Tablespoons)
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Cinnamon Cheesecake Filling
- 28 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 Tablespoons)
- 132 grams sugar (2/3 cup)
- 454 grams full-fat cream cheese, softened (16 ounces)
- 152 grams full-fat sour cream, room temperature (2/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Apple Pie Topping
- 454 grams Honeycrisp apples (1 pound)
- 14 grams unsalted butter (1 Tablespoon)
- 52 grams brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
- 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!
