Last weekend, I went apple picking with my friends, Lin and Jaclyn. Between the three of us, we picked a bushel of apples.. which is a lot of apples, let me tell you! I picked half a bushel myself, and I definitely squeezed as many apples as I could into that bag, so I had at least 25 pounds of apples. Be prepared for quite a few apple recipes before they’re all gone! We have our two crisper drawers filled with apples right now.
To make something a little different, rather than just your usual apple pie, I decided on apple cheesecake bars. I had a container full of Trader Joe’s ginger kitty cookies, so I used those as the crust. You can choose whatever cookie you’d like for the crust (or graham crackers). I love the ginger flavor they add to these bars! I used greek yogurt in place of cream cheese, so these are definitely a healthier version of cheesecake, and they taste just as good!! I was really pleased with how these turned out.
With lots of cinnamon and ginger, these bars are the perfect fall dessert that you can enjoy without feeling weighed down (or guilty)! Bursting with apples, they’re definitely a great way to use up some apples from apple picking! They’re SO quick to come together, too!
What is your favorite kind of cheesecake?
- 1 cup ginger cookie crumbs (or graham crackers)
- 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 2 cups plain greek yogurt (I love Chobani)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 tsp liquid stevia (or 1/4 cup more sugar)
- 4 medium apples, cored and chopped
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line a 9×9? pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir the cookie crumbs and butter together. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust. Bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat the yogurt and eggs together, and then add the cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and stevia, stirring until smooth. Pour over the cookie crust, smoothing evenly with a spatula.
In a large bowl, stir the apples and 2 tsp cinnamon together to combine. Sprinkle the apples evenly over the cheesecake base.
Bake at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes, until the cheesecake is set (it will no longer jiggle). Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
https://cookingalamel.com/2013/10/apple-yogurt-cheesecake-bars.html