Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dessert Cups

There comes a point every September when I start buying apples like I’m personally responsible for keeping the orchard in business. I don’t even have a plan for all of them when I put them in the cart. They just look good. Then I get home with a bag of apples and start thinking about what I’m going to make.

Apple pie is always a possibility, but I’m not necessarily interested in making pie on a Wednesday. Pie requires commitment. You have crust to deal with, apples to peel, everything has to bake, and then you’re supposed to wait for it to cool before cutting into it.

That last part is where they lose me. These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dessert Cups give me plenty of apple pie flavor without asking nearly as much from me. You get buttery graham cracker crumbs, creamy cheesecake filling, cinnamon apples, and caramel sauce all layered together in individual glasses.

They also look like you worked much harder than you did.

I appreciate a dessert with that particular quality.

The Apples Are the Only Part We’re Cooking

This isn’t completely a no-bake dessert because I like cooking the apples first. You could certainly use raw apples, but that’s not what I’m after here.

I want soft, buttery apples with cinnamon and brown sugar. They should taste a little like the inside of an apple pie.

The good news is they only take about ten minutes.

I usually use Granny Smith apples because the tartness works well with the sweet caramel and cheesecake filling. Honeycrisp would be wonderful too. You could even use a mixture if that’s what you have.

I wouldn’t get too worried about choosing the perfect apple.

We’re cooking them in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and then covering them with caramel.

They’re going to be fine.

Cut the apples into fairly small pieces. Remember that we’re putting these into dessert cups and eating them with a spoon. You don’t want someone trying to wrestle half an apple out of a little glass.

Once they’re cooked, let them cool before you start layering everything together. If you put hot apples directly onto the cheesecake mixture, you’ll end up with a mess.

It will probably still taste good.

It just won’t be nearly as pretty.

The Cheesecake Filling Is Easy

I’m not baking cheesecake for this.

We’re making a simple filling with cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and whipped cream.

That’s it.

Make sure your cream cheese is softened before you start. Cold cream cheese likes to leave little lumps no matter how long you stand there threatening it with the mixer.

I take mine out of the refrigerator ahead of time and let it soften on the counter.

Beat it until it’s completely smooth before adding anything else. Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Once that’s mixed together, fold in the whipped cream.

You want the filling light and fluffy.

I use prepared whipped topping when I want this to be particularly easy. If you prefer homemade whipped cream, make it. Either works.

This is dessert, not a test.

Individual Desserts Make Everything Look Special

I love serving desserts in individual cups.

You can make exactly the same dessert in one big dish and everyone will enjoy it, but put it into little glasses and suddenly people think you’ve done something fancy.

I’m willing to take the credit.

They also make serving easy. Nobody has to cut anything. Nobody gets the tiny corner piece while someone else somehow ends up with a serving twice the size.

Everyone gets their own.

You can use actual dessert glasses, small mason jars, stemless wine glasses, or even clear plastic cups if you’re making these for a cookout or larger gathering.

Don’t go out and buy special glasses unless you want them.

Use what you have.

I especially like clear containers because you can see all the layers. The graham cracker crumbs, white cheesecake filling, cinnamon apples, and caramel look beautiful together.

If you’re serving these for company, make them earlier in the day and put them in the refrigerator. Then dessert is already handled before anyone arrives.

Anything I can cross off the list ahead of time is welcome at my house.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dessert Cups

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: At least 1 hour

Ingredients

For the cinnamon apples:

• 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the cheesecake filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whipped topping

For the graham cracker layer:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For assembling:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup caramel sauce
• Whipped cream for topping, optional
• Chopped pecans for topping, optional
• Extra graham cracker crumbs, optional

Make the Cinnamon Apples

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Stir until the apples are evenly coated.

Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the apples tender but not completely falling apart.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let the apples cool completely.

If you’re making the dessert later, transfer them to a covered container and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble everything.

Make the Graham Cracker Layer

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Stir until the crumbs are evenly coated and look a little like damp sand.

You don’t have to bake them.

Set the mixture aside while you make the cheesecake filling.

Make the Cheesecake Filling

Place the softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until completely smooth.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat again until everything is creamy and well combined.

Fold in the whipped topping until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Try not to eat too much of it straight from the bowl.

Or do.

You’re the one making dessert.

Assemble the Dessert Cups

Add a spoonful of the graham cracker mixture to the bottom of each glass. Press it down lightly with the back of the spoon.

Add a generous layer of cheesecake filling.

Spoon some of the cooled cinnamon apples over the cheesecake layer.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the apples.

Depending on the size of your glasses, repeat the layers.

I like finishing with cheesecake filling or whipped cream, a few cinnamon apples, another drizzle of caramel, and a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs.

If you’re using chopped pecans, add those just before serving so they keep their crunch.

Refrigerate the dessert cups for at least one hour before serving.

You Can Make Them Ahead

These are perfect for making ahead, but I wouldn’t prepare them several days in advance.

The night before is fine.

If you want the graham cracker layer to stay a little crunchier, prepare all three parts separately and assemble the cups a few hours before you’re ready to serve them.

Personally, I don’t mind when the crumbs soften a little. They start taking on some of the flavor from the apples and cheesecake, which is certainly not a hardship.

Keep the finished cups covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready for them.

A Few Ways to Change Them

Salted caramel sauce is wonderful here. That little bit of salt cuts through the sweetness and goes beautifully with the apples.

You could also swap the graham crackers for crushed gingersnaps. I especially like that idea later in the fall when I’m ready for stronger spice flavors.

Crushed vanilla wafers work too.

If you love nuts, toast some pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes before chopping them. They taste completely different once they’re toasted, and the crunch is great against the creamy cheesecake.

You could even set out a few toppings and let everyone finish their own dessert. Caramel, pecans, extra apples, whipped cream, and cookie crumbs would make a very easy little dessert bar.

Just don’t be surprised when someone builds a dessert cup twice as tall as everyone else’s.

There’s always one.

Don’t Wait for Company

These look like a dessert I’d serve when people come over, but that doesn’t mean I’m waiting for company to make them.

Sometimes I want dessert on a Wednesday.

I don’t need a birthday.

I don’t need a holiday.

Nobody has to be coming over.

There are six perfectly good dessert cups sitting in my refrigerator and that’s reason enough.

Besides, if I wait until October to start making all the apple recipes I’ve been thinking about, I’ll already be distracted by everything pumpkin.

September deserves dessert too.