Today, I’m excited to share with you one of the most quintessentially fall recipes I have ever created. It’s got apples. It’s got maple syrup. It’s got pecans. It’s got gingersnaps. It does not have pumpkin, but there are more pumpkin recipes in the works, so worry not! I’ve been planning out the details of these apple maple pecan cheesecake bars ever since our trip to the apple orchard a few weeks ago, and they are everything I imagined they would be and more—your taste buds won’t be disappointed, I promise!
We went out to dinner directly before I made these bars, and armed with the knowledge that there was luscious, decadent cheesecake in my near future, I became one of those people. You know, the ones who substitute broccoli in place of French fries. On National Potato Day, no less.
It was so worth it.
These apple maple pecan cheesecake bars are a bit time-consuming—I won’t lie—but there’s nothing very complicated about any given step. First, you crush up some gingersnaps and make a crust, which goes into the oven for a few minutes. Next, you cook up a mixture of pecans and maple syrup and pour that on top of the gingersnap crust, and it goes back into the oven for a bit longer. Then, once the maple pecan layer has cooled, you sauté a bit of diced apple and whip up some no-bake cheesecake (which, by the way, is like heaven in a bowl), spread the cheesecake into an even layer on top of the pecans, pop the whole thing into the fridge, and you’re done!
See? Nothing too fancy. Once they’re chilled and cut into bars, however, they look pretty fancy, if I do say so myself!
And now I have a very important question for you: how do you pronounce the word “pecan”? Do you say pee-KAHN, pick-AHN, PEE-can, or PEE-kahn? According to a geographic study, as a native Californian, I most likely grew up pronouncing it pee-KAHN, but apparently I’ve lived in other regions of the country long enough that I now go back and forth between different pronunciations, sometimes even in the same conversation!
Luckily, these apple maple pecan cheesecake bars are ridiculously delicious no matter how you pronounce their name. After all, a rose by any other name…
You had me at apple, but apple maple pecan cheesecake looks even better! Hope I can make these soon.
You really should! They’re not that complicated, I promise
Beautiful!
Thanks, Meg!
Oh my goodness does this look yummy!!!
Super yummy! I hope you get a chance to try them sometime
Oh my gosh, do these look good! You created an amazing dessert. So many flavors going on that I love. Your pictures make me feel like I could just reach in and grab one. I wish I could!
I wish *I* could too, but alas, there are none left in the fridge. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Thanks for the great side-view photo with arrows pointing out the tasty layers. Shown on a large monitor screen, I can almost imagine that I can bite into one….
I’m glad you liked that graphic! I wasn’t sure if I should include it or not…
I can’t decide which one of these layers I love the most!
Me neither! I suppose that’s a good problem to have, right?!
Oh wow those look like the perfect fall dessert! So many layers to love
I’m so glad you agree! Thanks
These look amazing!! Apple!! Maple!! Pecans!! CHEESECAKE! it’s everything I love in like in one little bite
I love (and equal) your enthusiasm about these cheesecake bars! I hope you get a chance to try them sometime
These look perfect for fall and utterly delicious! How did you decide to make a no-bake cheesecake layer after the others were baked?
Thanks! Good question – it came down to a matter of confidence. My oven is kind of wonky and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to time things correctly so that both the cheesecake and the maple pecan layer would be fully baked (and I didn’t want to have to go through several trial batches – pecans aren’t cheap, after all!). I figured that a no-bake cheesecake layer would be the most foolproof way to go, and sure enough, it turned out wonderfully!
Oh, wowzers! This is amazing looking and sounding! I’m going to have to save to my favourites and make soon – maybe for Thanksgiving or for, you know, a random day!
Thanks, Maggie! Please let me know what you think if you make them – I hope you enjoy them as much as we do
Oh. My. Goodness. These look completely incredible! And get more incredible with each layer. YUM.
I’m so glad that these caught your eye! These are so fun, both to make and to eat!
These bars look amazing!
Thanks! And they taste even better than they look!
They look so yummy. Almost drooled on my phone. I am going to have to make these… But I gotta find no bake cheesecake without the gelatin ;). After that… Definitely making these!
Thanks! I tried to find a no-bake cheesecake recipe that didn’t use gelatin, but the consensus seemed to be that it would have a softer, more pudding-like consistency. If you find one you like, please let me know!
Holy amazing bars, Batman…these look amazing! You’ve got everything I could possibly want all rolled up into one nice little package. I think I need these to make magically appear in my kitchen this weekend. And then watch them magically disappear, too!
They *do* have a tendency to disappear rather quickly!
Oooooooh these look so fabulous!!!! I pronounce it pick-AHN and I’m from the Midwest… I love how different areas pronounce it differently
Thanks! I currently live in the Midwest and, sure enough, that is one of the pronunciations I’ve started to adopt. Thanks for weighing in on the “debate”!
“pee-can” (no emphasis on either syllable) for me, here in Ontario! Thanks for bringing these to Fiesta Friday. These look SO good and I love your layout and the fact that you’ve attributed your sources. What great bars and what a great blog!
Interesting – I’m not sure if I’ve heard that pronunciation in person. Thank you so much for your kind words! Your comment brought a little cheer to my morning
Ohhhh! These look amazing! I love the gingersnap level. That is the best touch in my mind. And, of course I love any dish with fresh apples. I pronounce it “pee-can” in Massachusetts.
Happy FF, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I *love* using gingersnaps in place of graham crackers for crusts…especially since I get to snack on any leftover cookies! I’m glad these caught your eye, and I hope you have a great weekend as well!
They look so delicious. love the combination!
Thanks! I wasn’t sure at first whether perhaps there would be too many flavors going on…but I think it’s just the right amount!
Awesome photos and delicious bars.
Have a lovely weekend. Happy FF!
Thanks so much! I hope you have a great weekend as well.
I love the three layers of your dessert – some of my favorite Fall ingredients
Thanks! I had a lot of fun making these
Now I’m trying to figure out how I say “pecan” haha But what’s important are these bars; they look delicious!
Oh I know, I think it might be one of those things (like breathing) where as soon as you really think about it, you can’t do it normally anymore. I’m glad these bars caught your eye! They’re already one of my favorite recipes.
These look wonderful! And I’m a pick-kahn girl, here
I think we missed our apple-picking window. Here in So Cal, it’s so hot I could hardly imagine fall activities until, like yesterday.
Ooh yeah, I heard So Cal has been having a brutally hot fall. I hope it cools down soon! If it doesn’t, just make the no-bake apple cheesecake layer by itself…I’d eat that stuff by the spoonful!
These look perfect for the holiday table this year!
Definitely! I was thinking about possibly bringing these to Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you get a chance to try them!