Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes

Creamy little Mini Cheesecakes topped with an Apple Crisp Topping and then finished off with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce! These Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes are the perfect fancy little bite sized dessert for your next gathering.

The Big 50!

We had a big celebration for Paul’s 50th this past weekend! I wanted it to be a special night filled with fun, laughter and good friends sharing memories. Since Paul’s house is a bit small and the impending rain in the forecast I was a bit nervous about how the evening would turn out.  But I didn’t need to be. It was a complete success!

Decorating for a Autumn birthday

Pumpkins decorated in a black and gold scheme were the perfect birthday decor for an Autumn birthday.  I visited Shannon over at Fox Hollow Cottage and got some helpful tips on painting them.  White table clothes sprinkled with black, gold and silver confetti on them were the perfect setting to make things festive. And of course balloons. You can’t have a birthday party without balloons!

The kids made a beautiful collage with a list of “50 Reasons Why We Love You”, which naturally brought forth a few tears. Probably the best gift they could have ever given him.

The perfect menu for a Fall birthday celebration

Since Paul isn’t a fan of cake I made him an ice cream cake similar to the {Cookie Dough} Ice Cream Cake I shared a few weeks ago. I ordered an awesome sparkler candle for the top. Not the type that just spark a little bit, We’re talking the full blown firework type! It was totally awesome! I’ve been wanting to buy some for a while and finally found some online and placed an order.  

The other dishes on the menu included my Garlic Soy Sauce Chicken Wings,  Outrageous Brownies  and these delicious Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes. They were the perfect seasonal addition to the menu.

As for the rest of the food. Everyone seemed to bring something delicious to share. One of his friends even visited Family Table Treasures and made {Paul’s} Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings!

The night was a great reminder of just how awesome all of our friends and family are! Thanks to all who made Paul’s Birthday such a special night!

Now let’s get to the real reason you’re here!  These awesome Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes!

What type of apples should I use to make these Mini Cheesecakes?

You can pretty much use any type of apple you want in this recipe however, I’ve found that Macintosh or Cortland bake through the best. 

I’ve also used Granny Smith but they were still a bit firm after baking. If you do use them you really need to make sure you cut them into very small pieces. You could also try pre cooking them a bit in the microwave to get them started. 

Tips for making Cheesecake Cupcakes

• Use room temperature ingredients: This will help ensure that everything bakes more evenly. 
• Bake at a low temperature: Baking at a higher temperature will cook the outside of your cupcakes more quickly than the outside and could cause them to cave in. 
• Mix on a low speed: This will help prevent too much air from being incorporated into the batter. You should also lightly tap your bowl on the counter to pop any that have developed.
• Add structure to your batter: Adding either a small amount of flour or cornstarch will give your batter enough structure to help prevent it from sinking.
• Do not under bake: Under baking your cupcakes can also cause them to sink. This particular recipe needs to bake for about 25-30 minutes. This bake time will also help ensure that your apples are cooked long enough.

How to put Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes together

There are a few steps to this recipe since there are several different ingredients going into it. 

I like to have everything made and set to go to help speed up the process.  For example I make sure that my graham cracker crust, apple crisp topping and cheesecake batter are made before I start putting anything in my muffin tins. 

Here are a few pictures of the process to help you out.

Press 1 heaping Tablespoon of your graham cracker crust into each cupcake liner and press down with your finger tips.

Fill your Cupcake liners about 3/4 full with cheesecake batter. I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the batter. 

Place a heaping Tablespoon of your minced apples on top of each batter filled cupcake.

Top the apples with a heaping Tablespoon of Crumb Topping.

Print

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes

Creamy little cheesecake bites topped with an apple crumb topping and caramel drizzle! These Caramel Apple Cheesecake {Cupcakes} are the perfect fancy little bite sized dessert for your next gathering.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Autumn Dessert,streusal topping,apples,bite sized dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 32 cupcakes

Calories 193kcal

Author Nicole Crocker

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 2 1/2 Cups Graham cracker crumbs
• 5 Tablespoons Granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 Stick Unsalted butter melted

For the Crumb Topping:

• 1 Cup All-purpose flour
• 1/2 Cup Quick oats
• 1/2 Cup + 4 Tablespoons Packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted butter ,cold and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

For the Filling:

• 4 8 ounce packages Cream cheese ,softened
• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated sugar
• 4 Large eggs
• 1/2 Cup Sour cream
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons Flour or Cornstarch
• 2 Pounds Macnitosh apples ,peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 4 teaspoons Lemon juice

Caramel Topping:

• Link for caramel sauce in directions or store bought may be used

Instructions

For the crust:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add butter and stir with a fork to moistened. Divide mixture among 32 paper lined muffin cups. (I used about a tablespoon full). Press into the bottom of cup with fingers. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the crumb topping:

• In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, quick oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold butter and using a fork press butter into dry mixture until it comes together it small crumbles and pieces of butter are no longer visible. Transfer to refrigerator while preparing apples and filling.

For the filling:

• In a bowl, toss chopped apples with lemon juice, set aside. (This well help prevent the apples from browning)
• In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, cream together cream cheese with sugar just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, then blend in sour cream, vanilla and flour.
  

Assemble cheesecakes:

• Divide cheesecake batter evenly among 32 muffin cups pouring filing over crust (I used a 1/4 cup and filled it about 3/4 full).

  Divide apples evenly over cheesecake layer, then finish by sprinkling a heaping tablespoon of the crumb topping over the tops.

  Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature 30 minutes.

  Transfer to the refrigerator and chill 3 hours.

  Drizzle caramel sauce over top and serve. (Store left over caramel sauce in the refrigerator)

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Recipe updated. Originally posted on October 7th 2014.  

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Love these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes and craving more?

Try some of these!

Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes {with Blueberry Sauce}Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I will be sharing this recipe at the following link parties:

Wow us Wednesdays

Project Parade

Create it Thursday

Foodie Fridays

Let’s Get Real

The Weekend Social

I’m Lovin it

Strut your Stuff

Sweet and Savoury Sundays