Caramel Apple Milky Way Cheesecake Bars
Cookie cheesecake bars loaded with Milky Way candies and topped with caramel and chocolate.
Cookie cheesecake bars loaded with Milky Way candies and topped with caramel and chocolate.
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg
- for the topping
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- for the cookie layer
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1/2 c. shortening
- 2 tbsp. sour cream
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 2 1/4 c. flour
- 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
- 2 c. milky way candy bars chopped, i used the caramel apple
- for the cheesecake layer
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 4 oz. caramel candies
- 4 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/4 c. chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp. shortening
- Carbohydrate 61.3028405751413 g
- Cholesterol 132.873992523117 mg
- Fat 35.9697609189399 g
- Fiber 0.349788890745155 g
- Protein 3.46615225080222 g
- Saturated Fat 20.7555117282933 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (149g)
- Sodium 3919.52057208544 mg
- Sugar 60.9530516843962 g
- Trans Fat 2.62377339864856 g
- Calories 569 calories
Step-by-step
- Cream the butter, shortening, sour cream, and sugars until creamy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, crumbs, baking soda, and salt and slowly add to the butter mixture.
- Stir in the candies by hand.
- Press half the mixture into a greased 8 inch pan.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top.
- Drop the rest of the dough by spoonfuls gently on top of the cheesecake.
- Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Drizzle with caramel and chocolate.
- Refrigerate.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy.
- Add the egg and caramel and beat again.
- Stir in the flour.
- Pour on cookie dough in pan.
- Place the caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan.
- Heat and stir until melted and creamy.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and shortening.
- Heat for 20 seconds.
- Stir and repeat until melted and smooth.
- Place in a bag and cut one corner off.
Standard cheesecakes rely on a springform pan and a water bath to manage heat transfer, whereas layered bar formats use a dense cookie crust to insulate the filling from direct pan conduction. Cream cheese batters present a distinct visual challenge during baking because they lack the high egg-white content required to form a firm surface crust. Determining readiness without a digital thermometer relies on observing structural rigidity and center movement rather than internal heat measurements. Shaking the eight-inch pan gently reveals the target state: the outer two inches should remain completely set and matte, while the exact center retains a slight, uniform gelatinous wobble. Pulling the pan at this specific juncture prevents residual thermal energy from overcooking the dairy proteins and causing surface cracks. Allowing the baked squares to chill overnight in the refrigerator fundamentally alters the texture through retrogradation, letting the starches in the flour and graham crumbs fully firm up while the chocolate and caramel toppings settle into a cohesive, sliceable density. Stored in an airtight container at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, these bars maintain optimal structural integrity for up to five days.
