Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

• servings: 9 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup (28g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*

3 Tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

3 Tablespoons (40g) packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

2 cups (250g) peeled, thinly sliced, and chopped apples*

1 Tablespoon (13g) packed light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2–3 Tablespoons salted caramel (plus more for topping)*

12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

3 Tablespoons (45g) sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Have your ingredients ready and salted caramel prepared.

Make the crust

If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Continue with the next steps as the crust bakes.

Make the streusel topping

Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or 2 forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place the bowl of streusel in the refrigerator to chill while you continue with the next step.

Prepare the apples

Mix the thinly sliced & chopped apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside. (The caramel will be layered on top of them when you assemble the pie.)

Make the filling

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and then beat until fully combined and very smooth. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed to combine⁠—you don’t want any large lumps. Add the egg and beat on medium speed just until combined. If you still see some lumps at this point, switch to a whisk and whisk by hand just until you break up the large lumps. Some small lumps are OK.

Assemble the layers: Spread the cheesecake filling into the crust. The crust can still be warm at this point. A small offset spatula makes spreading easy. Spoon apples in an even layer on top of the cheesecake filling. Drizzle salted caramel over the apples. Sprinkle cold streusel evenly on top.

Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) and bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it will still be a bit wobbly in the center—that’s OK). To prevent burning the crust edges, tent the entire pie with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield for the last 10–15 minutes of baking.

Set the pie on a wire rack and cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then place it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before serving. The pie will continue to set up as it cools and chills. (Cover if chilling it for longer than a few hours.) The topping softens the longer it sits.

To serve, drizzle chilled pie with more salted caramel. Salted caramel solidifies as it cools, so warm it back up to drizzle it. For neat slices, use a clean sharp knife, and wipe the knife clean between each slice. Tip: The first slice is never pretty! Much easier to slice after that first piece is out.

Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 5 days.