This cheesecake is a fabulous combination of cinnamon, sugar, and creamy cheesecake all in one beautiful pie! (Be sure you read until the end, as I am going to share a really fun twist on this recipe!) If you love the Apple Crisp Cheesecake as much as I do, be sure to also try my award-winning Apple Crisp and Cheesecake Recipe!
What is Apple Crisp Cheesecake?
Simply put it is a cheesecake with a pie crust on the bottom, creamy cheesecake filling on top, and apple crisp crumble sprinkled over. It is a mash-up of some of our favorite treats!
Apple Crisp Cheesecake
The first time I made this apple crisp cheesecake was on a cold Minnesota Sunday afternoon. I was cleaning out my pantry and realized I had 4 bottles of McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract and decided that I should bake something to use up some of that glorious vanilla. A cheesecake came to mind, and then I glanced over to my table and saw a bowl of apples. The last time I had used them was for my favorite Apple Crisp and that is how this Apple Crisp Cheesecake was born!
Best Apples to Use in an Apple Crisp Cheesecake
It is important to use tart apples in order to get that tang that contrasts well with the buttery topping in an apple crisp. Honeycrisp (they are crisp and juicy with a honey-sweet and tart flavor) or Granny Smith (they are crisp and very sour) are my top two favorites. The Honeycrisp was developed right here in Minnesota. #proudMinnesotan Either of those apples is ideal, but you could also do a combination of the two. Some folks in my extended family love to do a combination of a sweet apple (like Golden Delicious) and a tart apple. When we sampled this version we did enjoy it but found that the leftovers did not reheat as nicely as the version with all tart apples. (They were mushier than we liked.)
Brown Sugar Apple Crisp
Most recipes call for all granulated sugar or 1/2 granulated and 1/2 brown. While these recipes are sweet, they lack the depth of flavor that all brown sugar adds. And after you try this apple crisp, you will definitely understand what I mean! I used light brown sugar, but you can definitely use dark brown sugar as well. If you don’t happen to have any brown sugar on hand, you can always make your own!
Homemade Brown Sugar
For light brown sugar add 1-2 tablespoons of molasses to 1 cup of granulated sugar. For dark brown sugar add 3-4 tablespoons to 1 cup of granulated sugar. I like to mix up a big batch in my food processor but you can also mix by hand if you prefer.
INGREDIENTS
APPLE MIXTURE
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 2 teaspoons McCormick Cinnamon, ground
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
CRUMB TOPPING
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Apple Pie Spice
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) cold butter
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 prepared pie crust
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place your prepared pie crust into a 7-inch pie pan. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
APPLE MIXTURE
Peel and dice apple into small 1/4″ cubes.
Add apple to a medium bowl an toss with cinnamon and flour. Set aside.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
In another bowl, beat together cream cheese, vanilla, eggs, and sugar. Set aside.
CRUMB TOPPING
In a third bowl, combine flour, apple pie spice, cold butter and brown sugar. Combine until all ingredients are incorporated and butter chunks are roughly the size of a pea.
PIE
Once the pie crust has cooled, add the cream cheese mixture in an even layer. Place apple mixture on top. Finish with a final layer of crumb coating.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.
