Fall has officially entered the chat, and I am apple-solutely ready for it. These mini apple pie cheesecakes with sugar free caramel are basically everything I love about fall packed into one ridiculously cute little dessert: creamy cheesecake, warm cinnamon-spiced apples, a buttery crust, and a generous drizzle of sugar-free caramel because apparently I have no interest in doing fall halfway. Pumpkin spice who? I have apples to deal with. These little cheesecakes are giving apple pie meets cheesecake meets cozy sweater weather (which could arrive ANY TIME NOW), and honestly, I support this crossover. They’re sweet, spiced, caramel-y, and just the right amount of over-the-top without requiring you to bake an entire pie. Because if fall is going to insist on making us romanticize changing leaves, dropping temperatures, and spending $7 on a candle that smells like a haunted apple orchard, the least we can do is have dessert…plus, you can save yourself the 7 bucks and make your whole house smell like a Yankee Candle factory just by making these cheesecakes. And unlike the candle, you actually get to eat them…because no matter how good those candles smell, you absolutely shouldn’t try to eat them. I’m not speaking from experience here, there are some things even my ravenous sweet tooth knows better than to do.
Mini Apple Cheesecakes & Sugar Free Caramel
Lush, creamy apple-spiced cheesecake with gf crust and apple pie filling on top with a drizzle of guilt-free caramel
Ingredients
CRUST*150 g gluten free graham crackers (this was about 10 Pamela’s graham crackers)
*30 mL (2 TBS) sugar free syrup
CHEESECAKE
*150 g (5.33 ounces) 1/3 the fat cream cheese at room temp
*150 g (5.33 ounces) nonfat Greek yogurt
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*20 g Quest vanilla milkshake protein powder
*96 g (1/2 cup) allulose
*1 egg
*1 TBS lemon juice
*1/4 tsp apple pie spice
APPLE PIE TOPPING
*1 honeycrisp or jazz apple, peeled and diced
*1 TBS lemon juice
*2 TBS water
*1/2 tsp golden monkfruit or brown sugar
*1/2 tsp apple pie spice
SUGAR FREE CARAMEL
*1 C (200 g) allulose
*6 TBS (86 g) light butter
*1/2 C (120 mL) heavy whipping cream
*1/4-3/4 tsp salt depending on your taste preferences
Directions
- Line muffin tin with 10 silicone cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350.
- In a food processor, process grahams and syrup until sticky.
- Place about 2 tsp of crust into each liner and press to even out (it helps to spray your fingers with cooking spray).
- Bake for 5-6 minutes, until golden and puffy; place in freezer while you make filling.
- Whisk the cream cheese and yogurt on high for 2-3 minutes before adding the vanilla, apple pie spice, protein powder, lemon juice, and allulose, mixing until smooth.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and add the egg, blending on low speed until completely mixed in.
- Evenly divide batter on top of cooled crust.
- Bake at 350 for 20-24 minutes, until cheesecakes are mostly set.
- Then turn off the oven and crack the door, leaving the cheesecakes in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes to finish baking (centers should have barely any jiggle).
- Place cheesecakes on a cooling rack (to speed up, place this in the fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 30 minutes).
- Once the cheesecakes are totally cool and set, remove from silicone liners.
- While your cheesecakes are baking, make the apple pie filling and sugar free caramel.
- To make the caramel, place allulose in a medium sauce pan and heat on medium-high heat while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until amber in color, 6-9 minutes.
- Switch to a whisk, lower to medium heat, and add in the butter, whisking for 2-3 minutes until totally melted.
- Slowly pour the heavy whipping cream into the saucepan while whisking; let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in salt.
- Let caramel cool completely to room temp before using in the pie (you can place in fridge to speed this up).
- Dump all apple pie filling ingredients into a medium sauce pan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until liquid is nice and sticky and apples are softened. Let cool a bit before using.
- Assemble cheesecakes by topping each with apple pie filling and drizzling with caramel as desired.
- Keep leftover cheesecakes in one container and caramel in another and leave in fridge!
Nutrition
Macros10 servings
196 cal/12.7 f/15.6 c/4.8 p/6.9g sugar per cheesecake
