Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

So, just when I decided to create a blog for all of the goodies I love to make in my free time, of course my camera dies. Regardless of the lower picture quality, these treats are quite possibly the best things I have ever made. I recently discovered the Betty Crocker website and all it has to offer, including multiple easy recipes that build upon Betty Crocker products such as their pre-made cookie and brownie mixes, etc. Hoping to create something fun for fall, I decided to pick something other than the usual chocolatey/cupcakey/cookie-type recipes I usually go for. This led me to the BEST possible outcome - the apple streusel cheesecake bars recipe from Betty Crocker. Although in the end they may seem like a complicated dessert to make, these bars are "semi-homemade" and besides the apple pie filling, cream cheese and Betty Crocker oatmeal mix, these amazing bars only require a few simple baking ingredients that most people will have at home - butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and only one egg. For easy access, here is the link to the recipe on the Betty Crocker website - http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-streusel-cheesecake-bars/8cf62013-0676-4102-8d75-0f1ee6d3fa8f. However, I made some modifications to this recipe, which I include in the ingredients/instructions list for my bars:

Ingredients: 

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp firm butter or margarine (1 full stick plus a Tbsp)
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened (I used regular, but low-fat and fat free are fine!)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cans (21 oz) apple pie filling, or enough to cover the cheesecake topping - to be honest, for this ingredient, you might want to go with the nicer quality. I bought one can of Kroger brand and one of a "gourmet" brand, and you could tell the difference. 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts - I left this out since a lot of people dislike walnuts, and it was still perfect! But... the nuts would add a yummy extra texture/taste!

Instructions:  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse (really takes some squishing using your hands to get the best result, the fork doesn't quite "cut it," literally). 
3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan - I ended up using almost all of the cookie mixture for the bottom crust because it wasn't thick enough at the edges. I had abou 1/4-1/2 cup of cookie mixture left after I made the crust. Bake 10 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. 
5. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon ( I chopped up the apples to make spreading easier). Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired. (At this point, I didn't have enough oatmeal topping left, so I made a simple streusel to crumble over the top - 1/2 cup sugar/brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 6 Tbsp butter. This should cover the rest of your bars if you don't have enough cookie mixture left!
6. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown (My oven was 38 minutes). Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows - 1"x1" squares would be perfect for appetizers or mini desserts! They are super rich. Store covered in refrigerator.

SO GOOD! Such a great fall treat, I hope you all enjoy. Happy Fall! 

I hope to make something pumpkin-y or Halloween-y for my next post! :)

Happy Baking!