Sharing my Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars with you today! They are perfect for Fall and Winter baking. So simple to prepare and packed with goodness!

Cookie bars are so much fun to make. Your options are endless! These bars are packed with sweet tart apples, cream cheese and caramel that make for the perfect sweet treat.
This simple little Fall dessert is gooey and “appley” delicious with warm soft caramel oozing off the sides. Hope you all enjoy!
For other delicious Picky Palate bar recipes try Fruity Pebbles Cookie Bars and Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars.
Be sure to follow Picky Palate on Instagram for sneak peeks on what’s coming next to the blog!
I used a refrigerated sugar cookie crust for this recipe, however you are free to use a homemade sugar cookie recipe if you’d like.
Tips For Softening Cream Cheese
There are many times I find that I don’t have a few hours to set out my cream cheese to soften at room temperature on it’s own. Here are some simple tips to speed up the process when you need softened cream cheese pronto 🙂
Did you know you can soften cream cheese in about 15 seconds? Unwrap your cream cheese and place it onto a microwavable plate. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. If it is not soft, you can microwave it for an additional intervals of 15-20 seconds. Mix it through; it may be a little cooler in the middle but the warmer sides may help it soften evenly and completely in just a minute or so.
Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- 3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal ground in food processor
- 1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough or 2 pkgs Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Dough Mix prepared and divided into 2 equal parts
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 21 oz can apple pie filling
- 1.5 oz package Nature Valley Oats N' Honey Crunchy Granola Bars 2 count, crushed (I use a rolling pin to crush them right in the bag before opening)
- 9.5 oz Kraft Caramels
- 1/2 Cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine melted butter and ground cereal into a large bowl; press into an 8x8 inch baking dish lined with foil that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven. Crumble half of the cookie dough over partially baked crust.
- Place cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a mixer; beat until smooth. Pour over crumbled cookie dough layer. Bake for 25 minutes then remove from over. Top with 3/4 of the apple pie filling (I chose to just add part, but you can add the whole can if desired). Next top with remaining cookie dough, breaking off into little pieces evenly over top. Sprinkle with crushed granola bars and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center. Let cool completely then cut into squares. Melt caramels and half and half according to package directions. Drizzle over each bar. Refrigerate leftovers.
These cookie bars look and sound so delicious! I love caramel, apple and cream cheese together!
Ammazing wooow 🙂
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Jen HansonC.P is a world trainer, healer and group process facilitator.
I googled for a caramel apple desert to make for my husband on Fathers Day. This is the one I made. It is really delicious and my husband said it was one of the best deserts of all time and that means a lot coming from him! Even my 3 year old son devoured it!
Enjoy
Making them now
Hope you enjoyed Ruth!!
Think I could substitute golden grahams cereal for a graham cracker crust?
this looks so yummy! thanks for sharing! more power <3
These look SO delicious. I tried the printer option to print the recipe, but it won’t print! Any suggestions?
These look yummy! I don’t buy processed foods like cereal or packaged cookie dough but I think I can sub a graham cracker crust and a few home made cookies along with my own home made cookie dough. I do cheat and sometimes buy filling in a can but the caramel sauce I can do home made also. I can’t wait to try and make a from scratch version of the combinations you have, apple, cream cheese and caramel. Thank you! I love getting new ideas from sites like this!
Although I too admit these look amazing, why does it seem all the best recipes seem to be from a can? I mean pre-made caramels (can’t get them here), pre-made pie filling (why?? fresh home-made is so much better!), pre-made cookie dough (again, why?? fresh is 100x’s better). I know people’s lives, especially with kids, are very time restricted but a lot of the above can be made before at spare times and frozen. It’s so much better for one then the pre-processed foods that are being called for in a *lot* of recipes now a days 🙁 Besides, we don’t all live in the USA *POUT* I can’t get most of the things!
Yummy, and definitely apples contain many benefits for our bodies.
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I made these for thanksgiving and they were a hit! Can’t wait to put my leftover caramel to use. A tip: Even after cooling for an hour, they were still way too gooey to cut. I would recommend sticking them in the fridge for a while – it helped them harden up.
This just came out of the oven… smells and looks tasty! I did the 2 packages of cookie dough mix and mixed them according to directions and ran into a problem. Once I got to the second package, I couldn’t fit it all in. It was practically running over the top so I left some out. I didn’t want it to expand and crumble off the edges. Could it be that I should have only made one package and split that one up? Or should I have used a 9×13 instead of an 8×8? Also, made homemade caramel for the first time ever without the help of someone showing me how to do it. Turned out perfect! Can’t wait to eat in on Thanksgiving!!!
OMGosh, these sound ahhmazing!!! I love anything apple, caramel, and cream cheese! Totally pinning this for later, thanks for sharing!
These were delicious! Although I made my own apples. 🙂
Look gorgeous. Do they come with a gym membership?
Sounds so yummy, and perfect for this time of year! I only have one question, do you have any suggestions on a replacement for the golden grahams crust? I want to make these gluten free, and that is the only part I’m unsure of how to substitute. Thanks.
I have had these on my “to make” list since posted a year ago. Finally I am making them today! I just realized the recipe only makes a few, and with a family of 5 and two teenage boys these will be gone in probably a fraction of the time it takes to make them. Maybe I’ll hide them! ;o)
It’s love that makes the world go round
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Wow, my mouth is watering! Sooooo good!
Thanks for sharing something for my thighs 😉
Caroline
I just swore aloud when I saw this recipe… totally in a good way. Like a jaw dropping, drooling on my desk kind of way.
Those were AMAZING.
Does your arm hurt?