Ingredients

Scale

For the graham cracker crust:

4.4 oz. crushed graham crackers
4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sugar

For the cinnamon swirl:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
A pinch of salt

For the cheesecake filling:

12 oz. Neufchatel (light cream cheese) – that’s 1 1/2 8-oz. packages
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the bourbon apples:

1/3 of the reserved cinnamon sugar swirl mixture
1 Tablespoon butter
About 4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons bourbon
About 1 Tablespoon caramel sauce (or to taste)
A pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Crush the graham crackers and mix them with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Bake for about 10 minutes to set the crust.
While the crust is baking, in a small mixing bowl, mix together the cinnamon sugar mixture. Take about 1/3 of the mixture and put it in a separate bowl or cup for the apple topping later.
Next, make the filling. Whip the cream cheese with the sugar until it’s creamy and smooth, then add the remaining filling ingredients and beat until nice and smooth. Make sure you wipe down the sides of the bowl and mix that in as well.
With a spatula, smooth about 1/3 of the cheesecake filling onto the baked crust, then sprinkle with about 1/3 of the remaining cinnamon swirl mixture, then pour on the next third of the batter, then more cinnamon swirl, and finally the remaining filling and a bit more cinnamon swirl mix. Keep in mind: you should still have some cinnamon swirl mix set aside for the topping! Use a knife to swirl the top of the cinnamon sugar mixture around a bit.
Set the springform pan inside a round cake pan, then set that inside a 13x9x2 inch pan or a large roasting pan. Boil a pot of water.
When the water is boiling, set the pans in the oven and pour the water about halfway up the side of the largest pan, making a water bath for the cheesecake that’s not actually touching the springform pan. Bake for about 60 – 70 minutes or until the cheesecake is mostly set but a little jiggly just in the middle part of the pan.
While the cheesecake is baking, make the apple topping. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add the apples, stir to coat, then cover and cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to get tender. Add the rest of the apple topping ingredients, stir to coat, then cover and cook for 10 – 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples get saucy and tender. Put in a jar and refrigerate until serving time.
When the cheesecake is mostly set, turn off the oven, open the oven for a bit to release some of the heat, then close it again and let the cheesecake rest in the oven until the cheesecake has cooled down, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Remove the cheesecake carefully from the oven, cover and set it in the fridge to cool for at least 4 -6 hours until completely set.

Notes

To serve: slice the cheesecake with a warm knife. Top with warmed apples and a bit of whipped cream. Enjoy!

RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2022, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.