Individual Caramelized Apple Cheesecakes with Streusel Topping

I've never been much of a raw apple person, but when cooked, I can't get enough. I made these for Thanksgiving last year and they were the perfect finish to our celebratory meal! I stuck a shard of pecan praline in each one (as shown below), but it's definitely not a necessary component to the dish.

Individual Caramelized Apple Cheesecakes with Streusel Topping

Makes 10-12 individual cheesecakes

Preheat oven to 300F.

Crust

2 cups crushed cinnamon graham crackers
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottoms of two removable-bottom cheesecake pans. I use this one by Chicago Metallic.

Apples

4 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges.
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice

Sautee all ingredients in a nonstick pan until apples are slightly softened and liquid is syrupy. Arrange apples over the crust in a single layer.

Cheesecake layer

Two 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese, softened
One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp vanilla
3 eggs

Blend all ingredients together until combined. Pour over apple layer. Tap pan lightly on counter to release any air bubbles.

Streusel topping

1/2 cup flour
1 cup crushed cinnamon graham crackers
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Wrap bottom of each cake well with foil (to prevent water from seeping in) and place in a larger pan with 1/2 inch water. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove pans from oven and crumble streusel topping over cheesecakes. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove cheesecake pans from water, cool completely on a wire rack and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

This post is part of a Thanksgiving Dinner series. To see the full menu, click here.