Caramel Apple Cheesecake

My mom and I wanted to do something a little different for dessert this Thanksgiving. I saw this tasty idea over at Feeding My Temple and we decided to go for it! This treat went with us to day two of our family festivities and provided a delicious and decadent alternative to the pecan pie. It is full of yummy fall flavors (which normally get overshadowed by pumpkin in my house). 

This dessert is a fantastic combination of a shortbread crust, classic cheesecake, cinnamon-sugary apples, crunchy topping and gooey caramel. 

Do I have you convinced? 

By the way, the best way to prep all of the ingredients is to move everything into the living room so that you can cheer/yell/cry at the Texas football game at the same time. Oh, that's just me? 

I've adjusted the recipe slightly from the original, so you might check out her version as well :)

What You'll Need:
for the crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
for the filling:
2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese (the real stuff, people)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs 
2 large apples- peeled, cored and diced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
for the topping
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup caramel cubes
2 tbsp heavy cream 

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter. Using 2 forks or a pastry cutter, mix until a crumbly mixture forms. Press the dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Adding the eggs one at a time, incorporating well before adding the next. Mix in vanilla extract.In a small bowl, combine chopped apples with cinnamon and sugar. Toss to coat. Pour cheesecake mixture over prepared crust. Sprinkle apples over mixture evenly.

In a smaller bowl, mix together flour, oats, and brown sugar for the crumb topping. Cover cheesecake mixture and apples with the crumb topping. (This will be a thick layer.)Bake 30 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Let cool completely before cutting.

In a medium glass bowl, add caramel cubes and heavy cream. Microwave bowl 20 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval. Pour caramel sauce over the top.

Recipe Adapted from Feeding My Temple