Simply Decadent No-Bake Mason Jar Caramel Apple Cheesecakes

Raise your hand if you love cheesecake! My hand is definitely raised, but what I’ve realized is that I rarely, if ever, make it at home because the traditional recipes can be so delicate, time-consuming, and occasionally difficult. Plus, there’s the whole calorie question to consider! Do you feel the same? What we need is a simple recipe with built-in portion control, and luckily for all of us, Tip Hero’s found just the one! This No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake from A Night Owl is not only easy and quick to make, it features built-in portion control – thanks mason jars! – and is absolutely perfect for fall. I just had to give it a try. Why don’t we try it together? Check it out.

We Need

Caramel Apples
– 1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apples (I used Honeycrisps)
– 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
– 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon lemon juice
– 2 tablespoons caramel sauce (I substituted with 4 actual caramels)
Cheesecake
– 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 cups whipped topping
Graham Cracker Crust
– 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6 or 7 crumbled crackers)
– 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Here’s How

Caramel Apples

  1. Toss the apples in a small sauce pan and mix with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.
  2. Bring the apples to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, until the apples are soft.
  3. Remove the apples from the heat and add the caramel sauce. Since I was using caramels instead of sauce, I turned the heat down to very low and added the caramel to the mixture, stirring until they melted and mixed with the apples. Do whichever way sounds best to you!

    4. *A Night Owl recommends transferring the apples to a bowl and refrigerating until assembly, but I did not find that step to be necessary. Use your best judgement!*

    Cheesecake

    1. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract until well mixed.
    2. Fold in the whipped topping with a spatula.

      3. Graham Cracker Crust

      1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter.

        2. Assembly

        1. Spoon the graham cracker crust into the bottom of your mason jars.
        2. Layer the cheesecake and caramel apples however you wish! I simply topped my cheesecake layer with the apples, while A Night Owl sandwiched her apples between layers of cheesecake.
        3. If you like, top with extra whipped cream and caramel sauce.

        Guys, these are SO good. Totally rich and decadent, but not over-powering, and easy to adapt to other seasons. Can’t you just imagine making this next summer with some peaches or strawberries? For now, though, I’m really happy with the caramel apples, and even more pleased with how easy this recipe is.

        The only step I had a little trouble with was assembly, simply because I happen to own smaller-than-usual mason jars— great for portion control, bad for this technique! If you have two normal-sized ones like A Night Owl, you should have no trouble, and if you dislike the mason jar idea, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t make a full-sized cheesecake. The amount of cheesecake this recipe makes could easily fill a 9-inch pie crust, so bust out your favorite graham cracker crust recipe, then double (or maybe triple) the caramel apple quantities. Yum!

        Be sure to check out A Night Owl’s original post to see how hers turned out, then tell us what you think. Do you like the idea of cheesecakes-in-mason-jars? What other fillings and toppings would you like to make?