These Caramel Topped Cheesecake Squares just might be the best cookie bars. A crisp biscuit layer, followed by a cream cheese filling and topped with decadent caramel sauce. Perfect fall baking.

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Admittedly, these are not the prettiest bar cookies I’ve ever made. But friends, they are worth the sticky caramel mess because they are delicious! These bars are made from scratch using a cookie base of your choice and a cheesecake filling and then topped with Homemade Caramel Sauce. I mean, it doesn’t get a whole lot better!

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What Makes These Bars Great

• Crowd plaeser – The fall season is here and the holiday season just around the corner. These bars will make any cheese cake fan quite happy.
• Great make ahead treat – These are a great bar cookie that you can make in advance and even freeze ahead of the holiday rush.
• Delicious ingredients – This bar cookie has all the flavours wrapped up. A crisp cookie base. A delicious creamy filling and a sweet caramel topping. Perfect.

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Ingredients

For the base

• 1 Cup cookie crumbs, finely crushed
• 1/4 Cup butter melted

For the filling

• 16 oz cream cheese equal to two packs
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 Cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup butter unsalted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

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Instructions

For the base

1. In a medium sized bowl combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan. Press firmly to ensure they don’t fall apart. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f/180 degrees c. Grease and line and 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Add the cream cheese, sugar and flour to the bowl of your electric mixer. Mix on high speed for about 2 minutes until smooth. As you are mixing, scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
4. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and evenly pour over the filling.
5. Bake for approximately 45 – 50 minutes. Open the oven door and turn off the oven. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 15 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled, at least an hour.

For the topping

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add all the sugar at once and start to stir. Stir the sugar until it starts to clump together and turn light brown.
2. Continue to stir the sugar until it completely melts and becomes rich brown in colour. The entire process of stirring the sugar will take about 10 minutes.
3. Immediately add the butter and stir vigorously until it’s completely melted. This will take about a minute. It will quickly thicken the butter melts.
4. In a slow steady stream, add the cream. Whisking as you pour. Leave it to come to a boil. This will take about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the 1/2 teaspoon salt.
5. Caramel sauce will thicken as it cools. Pour slightly cooled caramel sauce over the cheesecake bars. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Cut into equal squares. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Recipe Notes

• For the cookie base – Be sure to press the cookie base firmly into the baking dish. If you don’t, the base may fall apart or crumble after baking.
• The cream cheese filling – Baking time may vary between 40 – 50 minutes. You are looking for it to be set but still a little wobbly in the center. Allow a full hour for the cheesecake to set before topping it with the caramel sauce.
• Caramel topping – I’ve written an entire post on How to Make Caramel Sauce. I strongly suggest you check out that post for tips if this is your first time making caramel sauce.

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Substitutions

• Cookie base – i used Digestive Biscuits for this recipe. You can use Graham Wafer Cookies, Vanilla Wafers or any cookie of your choice.
• Cream cheese filling – I don’t recommend many changes to the filling. You could change the vanilla extract for a different flavour like almond extract or even orange extract.
• Caramel topping – I made a Homemade Caramel Sauce for these cookie bars. I strongly recommend you use it too! You could just drizzle it over if you prefer less. You can also add it as you serve it so you can choose how much you prefer.

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Serving and Storage

• Serving suggestions – Honestly, these bar cookies are amazing just as they are. However, you can dress them up and serve them with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
• Store in the refrigerator – These bar cookie have to be stored in the refrigerator. They will be too soft and the caramel will melt if left at room temperature for too long. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to one week.
• In the freezer – Alternatively, you can store these in the freezer up to two months. You can freeze them with or without the caramel topping.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You soon!