How to make Caramel Cheesecake Bars:
I haven’t always been a huge cheesecake fan. I used to prefer a cookie or brownie over cheesecake, until I made these Caramel Cheesecake Bars.
I love homemade caramel. Add that to a thick graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling and it is a match made in heaven!
Preheat your oven to 350ºF
Start by making the homemade graham cracker crust. This crust is so easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients!
In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and some melted butter. Mix it together until everything is well combined then press into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
They wouldn’t be Caramel Cheesecake Bars without a delicious cream cheese filling! To make the cheesecake layer, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time then add sour cream and mix again until smooth.
Pour the cream cheese mixture over prepared crust, smooth the top and bake for 50 minutes.
Turn off the oven, open the door and let the cheesecake sit in the warm oven for 15 more minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool for an hour (or less if you put it in the fridge).
How to make the caramel layer for your Cheesecake Bars:
To make the caramel topping, combine brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and vanilla and bring to a boil, stirring the entire time.
Place a candy thermometer in the caramel mixture and continue to let it boil until the caramel reaches 225 degrees. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, drop a bit of caramel in cold water and it should form a small soft ball.
Remove the caramel from heat and let it cool in the saucepan for 3-5 minutes before spreading it over the cheesecake.
Smooth caramel over the top of the cheesecake and let sit until cool. (We know you are really going to love these Caramel Cheesecake Bars!)
Cut into your Caramel Cheesecake Bar squares and enjoy!
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Other Delicious Cheesecake Recipes like these Cheesecake Bars:
- Restaurant Style Cheesecake
- Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
- No Bake Fluffy Blueberry Cheesecake
- Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Mini Cheesecakes
Caramel Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Caramel Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
- Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Filling
- In another mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time.
- Add sour cream and mix again until smooth.
- Pour cream cheese mixture over prepared crust, smooth top and bake for 50 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, open the door and let the cheesecake sit in the warm oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and let cool for an hour.
Caramel Topping
- Combine brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir continuously until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- Whisk in condensed milk, corn syrup and vanilla and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
- Place a candy thermometer in the caramel mixture and continue to boil until the caramel reaches 225 degrees F (or reaches soft ball stage if you don't have a thermometer. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball.).
- Let caramel cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then pour over cheesecake.
- Smooth and let set until cool.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 9×13-inch Baking Pan
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Candy Thermometer
Recipe Details
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Hi I made this recipe for a fund raising event it went down so well I was asked for the recipe many time Thank you for sharing your recipes
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Hi! Thinking of making these bars for a church bake table. Just wondering...if I refrigerate the bars overnight, will the caramel topping get too hard to cut into neat squares?
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Hi Gert, I actually made these bars two days ago and after that long in the fridge, the caramel is still nice and soft. It’s easy to cut and makes nice delicious little squares.
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What will happen if I don't wait for it to cool in the oven? Say I put it in the fridge or put it outside to cool down faster? Will if just crack?
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I think I just ruined 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, the recipe said the crumbs, sugar and butter.... then the cream cheese mixture also calls for sugar... but there is no second measurement for sugar! How much sugar is called for the graham cracker mix and how much for the cheese mixture?
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The recipe is confusing, it would be better written as Crust ingredients, filling ingredients, and topping ingredients. I apologize if I am coming off as rude but I just ruined the only box of graham crackers that I had, by adding too much sugar due to your vague instructions.
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Well I followed the directions exactly and it appears WAYYY overcooked. The entire thing is brown and cracked, and I haven’t even done the 15 minutes in the open oven yet. :(
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It was way over baked. The Carmel mixture was scorched ( cooked on med/low) stirred constantly and it would scorch where thermometer sat. Sadly, Won’t be making this recipe again.
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These bars are delicious! I turned them into a riff on Caramel DeLite Girl Scout cookies, adding toasted coconut into the caramel sauce and sprinkling mini chocolate chips in the batter, and then swirled the caramel throughout, and also added crushed cookies into the crust part.
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Does the caramel crystallize when cooled. Often with brown sugar after it cools it doesn’t stay creamy and smooth
