Description
Cheesecake Stuffed Baked Apples! Imagine apple halves stuffed with a creamy cheesecake filling, topped with a delicious graham cracker crisp topping and baked to perfection. So yummy!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large apples (I like to use Honeycrisp or Fuji)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cheesecake Filling Mixture:
- ½ cup full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Graham Cracker Crisp Topping:
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
For Serving (optional):
- melted chocolate, warm caramel or salted caramel sauce or whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Prep apples: Cut each apple in half lengthwise and scoop out the core, seeds and some of the apple to make little bowls which will hold the filling. I like to use a melon baller to do this (makes it really easy!). Arrange the apple halves in a baking dish (cut-side up) and sprinkle cinnamon over the cut side.
- Make cheesecake filling: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy (scraping down the sides as needed). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Spoon the filling into each of the apple halves, leaving a bit of the space at the top.
- Make topping: Mix together the graham cracker crisp topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of the cheesecake filling in the apple halves.
- Bake apples: Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheesecake filling is set and the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool down before serving.
- Serve: They can be served while still warm, at room temperature or after being cooled in the fridge (the filling will have a different consistency each way so try them all to find your favorite). Serve as is or drizzle over some melted chocolate, warm caramel or salted caramel sauce or a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
- Use a melon baller: To avoid frustration, use a melon baller to easily scoop out the apples. Using a spoon is more difficult and can sometimes lead to snapping the apple.
- Make sure those apple halves sit nice and flat! Otherwise, the cheesecake filling will spill out when you try to fill them. So try to position the apple halves to sit as level as possible. If one’s being especially tricky, just cut a small, really thin slice off the bottom to create a flat surface – just don’t cut too deep or you’ll end up with a hole!
- Prefer really soft apples? If you like your apples really soft, place the cinnamon sprinkled halves in a baking dish covered with foil and prebake for 10-15 minutes before adding the cheesecake filling and crisp topping. Then continue with the recipe as written.
- Which apples to use? I love using Honeycrisp or Fuji apples because they have the perfect amount of sweetness, hold their shape when baked and are usually nice and big – perfect for holding all that delicious cheesecake filling and crispy topping! However, any larger baking apple that keeps its shape works too (e.g. Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, etc.).
