Mini Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake Recipe

Your shopping list for these dainty delights includes many ingredients you are sure to have in your kitchen already, in addition to a few you may need to pick up at the store. So, shop for or gather from your pantry and fridge cinnamon graham crackers, salt, butter, sugar, cream cheese (which should be at room temperature), eggs, sour cream, cinnamon applesauce, vanilla extract, cinnamon, a Granny Smith apple, brown sugar, flour, and for the most delicious finale, caramel sundae syrup. This last ingredient may very well be the most important ingredient of all!

As far as why Morone uses cinnamon graham crackers and applesauce in her recipe, she says, "Rather than putting additional cinnamon in some of the steps of this recipe, I used cinnamon graham crackers and cinnamon applesauce to make it easier." She also explains why she chose Granny Smith apples specifically. "I think they are the perfect apples for baking, [as] they aren't overly sweet or too tart, they keep their structure while baking, and [they] don't get mushy." She adds, "Plus, they always seem to be available at the grocery store!"

Cinnamon adds such a delicious flavor to this divine treat, and the aroma in your kitchen is sure to be amazing. This dessert may remind you of a crisp fall evening, but you can really make it any time of the year.

While your crusts are baking and cooling, you can get started on mixing up your cheesecake layer. In a large bowl (the same one cleaned out, perhaps, so you don't have too many items out in your kitchen), combine the softened cream cheese, ⅔ cup of sugar, your eggs, sour cream, the cinnamon applesauce, vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon together in your bowl.

Then, mix the ingredients really well with a hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is dreamily smooth. Morone was sure to point out that although this mini cheesecake recipe is easy, "I think the one way these could be messed up is if you don't let the cream cheese get to room temperature before mixing it, because if it's too cold, the cream cheese mix will end up lumpy."

Finally, once everything is smooth and silky, you're going to spoon that rich and creamy cheesecake mixture right over the cooled crusts in each of the lined muffin tins.

When you're done pulsing, artfully add the crumble mixture on top of each apple layer with a spoon. Now, your mini cheesecakes are completely assembled and ready to bake. But what about the caramel, you might ask? Be patient, because we are almost there!

Your finished cheesecakes will get baked for 30 to 35 minutes. How do you ensure you don't burn these beauties? "When these are done, the center will look set, but still jiggle a little, and the streusel topping will be golden brown," Morone says. "If the cheesecakes still look wet or the streusel is pale, it isn't done yet," she adds. "But if you stick to around 35 minutes, they should come out perfectly." And this dessert deserves every bit of perfection.

Once your bake time is done, Morone instructs home bakers to allow the desserts to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Now comes the last fun part before eating them. You're going to drizzle the caramel syrup on top of each cheesecake. We're guessing your mouth is watering, and ours are, too.

Finally, you'll need to refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least 2 hours before serving, although this indulgent treat can be made up to a day in advance. "You will want to store these in the fridge because of the cheesecake layer, covered with plastic wrap, and they should last about five days," Morone says. (But we're guessing they will be gone by then!)