Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake

Directions

1. Remember that your cold ingredients need to come to room temp before you start, or the filling won't turn out.

2. Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and make sure the bottom is securely fastened. Stir together crust ingredients and press into prepared pan and up the sides a bit. Bake this for 10 minutes. Set it aside. Keep the oven on at 350. Fill a large pot with water and set it on your stove and take out a large roasting pan – you'll need this for your water bath later.

3. Make the Cheesecake: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar & mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each until just incorporated. Add the vanilla, sour cream, and spices, and mix until just incorporated. Start your pot of water boiling on the stovetop before you start assembling the cheesecake into the crust.

   Pour half the batter into the baked crust, then spoon the apple filling over the top of the batter in an even layer. Pour on the remaining batter and smooth with an offset spatula.

4. Prep Water Bath: Wrap the base of the cheesecake pan in foil and place it inside a 10-inch cake pan inside of the roasting dish. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan.

5. Bake: Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 35 to 1 hour and 50 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will have only a slight wobble in the center, and a knife inserted into the edge will come out clean and will have just a bit of thick batter when inserted into the center. Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour before removing it.

6. Cool and Chill: Once the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven. It should be cool enough to handle. Remove the foil and set the springform pan on a wire rack. Let cool completely at room temp, then cover with foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before removing from the pan and serving.

7. Make Crumble Topping: Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into chunks, then add to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two forks until you have a crumbly mixture. Spread into an even layer on your prepared cookie sheet and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool completely.

8. Make Salted Caramel Sauce: Start by adding the granulated sugar to a clean, dry nonstick or heavy bottom pot. Cook this over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring with a wooden spoon as the sugar melts, until it’s completely broken down into a deep, amber-colored liquid. As the sugar cooks, it will clump and begin to melt. Continue stirring until it’s completely broken down.

   Next, lower the burner to medium-low heat, and whisk the butter into the melted sugar. Some of it may look a bit separated out from the caramel, but that’s fine. Just mix it all in the best you can and move on to the next step. Remove pot from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. If the caramel sauce feels a bit clumpy on your whisk at this point, that’s fine. It’s just the cold heavy cream solidifying a bit of the caramel sauce – it’ll melt back down in a minute when we return the pan to the heat. Return the pot to the heat and cook over medium heat, letting the caramel get nice and bubbly, for a minute more.

   Then, stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt, and you’re done! Let the caramel rest for about 10-15 minutes before using on the cheesecake.

9. Serve + Store: Top the cooled cheesecake with your apple pie topping, a generous layer of the crumble topping, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Slice the cheesecake and enjoy!