Basque-Style Cheesecake Apple-Cranberry Bars with Pecan Crust
In the autumn, my thoughts bring me back to a time long ago when I enjoyed making apple cranberry pie or cheesecake for Thanksgiving. So, I wondered if I could make these iconic recipes more casual and low carb. It turns out that these bars have amazing flavors, with the addition of a pecan crust in place of flour or graham cracker. And the burnt crust of a Basque cheesecake is one of my new passions. Cut them large to feed a small crowd at the table or cut them small for finger food on a buffet.
16 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Pecan crust:
avocado oil spray
2 cups pecans
3 tablespoons Brown Swerve or brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
Apple Filling
2 granny smith apples (about ¾ pound), peeled, cored, medium diced
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup allulose or sugar
1 tablespoon allulose-caramel or brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt
2 teaspoons corn starch
¼ cup filtered water + 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
Cheesecake
1 ½ pounds cream cheese
1 cup allulose or ¾ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
Pecan Crust:
1. Spray an eight-by-eight-inch pan with avocado oil. Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and to overhang the sides. Place the parchment in the pan, spray the sides with oil, and set the pan aside.
2. Pulse the pecans in a food processor until coarse. Add the brown sweetener and butter. Blend until nuts are finely ground. Scrape down the bowl and pulse once more until the nuts are even in small size. Press into the parchment-lined baking pan bottom evenly. Refrigerate for half an hour or freeze for fifteen minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling.
Apple-Cranberry Filling
1. Toss the apples and cranberries with lemon juice, allulose, allulose-caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a non-reactive saucepan. Let this rest for ten minutes. Add one-fourth cup of water to the apple-cranberry mixture and turn the heat to medium. Stir the apples and cranberries often to cook evenly.
2. Combine the cornstarch with one tablespoon of water to make a slurry. When the apples have softened, add this slurry to the apple-cranberry mixture and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
3. When cool, distribute the apple cranberry filling over the pecan crust. Reserve.
Cheesecake
1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
2. In a large stand-mixer fit with a paddle, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about one minute.
3. Scrape down the sides and add the allulose. Beat on medium speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides. Mix in the egg yolks and eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Whip in the cornstarch and salt until well mixed.
4. Spread the cheesecake filling over the apple cranberry filling. Take care not to let the apple cranberry filling rise to the top.
5. Bake in the oven until dark brown on the top, about twenty-five to thirty minutes. The cheesecake will still be soft and jiggly. Move to a cooling rack and bring to room temperature before refrigerating.
6. Cool for at least two hours before removing the cheesecake bars from the pan with the parchment sling. Use a thin knife dipped into hot water to cut the cheesecake into 16 bars.
Basque-Style Cheesecake Apple-Cranbery Bars
Ingredients
- avocado oil spray
- 2 cups pecans
- 3 tablespoons Brown Swerve or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- Apple Filling
- 2 granny smith apples (about ¾ pound), peeled, cored, medium diced
- ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup allulose or sugar
- 1 tablespoon allulose-caramel or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ¼ cup filtered water + 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Cheesecake
- 1 ½ pounds cream cheese
- 1 cup allulose or ¾ cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 granny smith apples (about ¾ pound), peeled, cored, medium diced
- ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup allulose or sugar
- 1 tablespoon allulose-caramel or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ¼ cup filtered water + 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ pounds cream cheese
- 1 cup allulose or ¾ cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- extract
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Spray an eight-by-eight-inch pan with avocado oil. Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and to overhang the sides. Place the parchment in the pan, spray the sides with oil, and set the pan aside.
- Pulse the pecans in a food processor until coarse. Add the brown sweetener and butter. Blend until nuts are finely ground. Scrape down the bowl and pulse once more until the nuts are even in small size. Press into the parchment-lined baking pan bottom evenly. Refrigerate for half an hour or freeze for fifteen minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling.
- Toss the apples and cranberries with lemon juice, allulose, allulose-caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a non-reactive saucepan. Let this rest for ten minutes. Add one-fourth cup of water to the apple-cranberry mixture and turn the heat to medium. Stir the apples and cranberries often to cook evenly.
- Combine the cornstarch with one tablespoon of water to make a slurry. When the apples have softened, add this slurry to the apple-cranberry mixture and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
- When cool, distribute the apple cranberry filling over the pecan crust. Reserve.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F.
- In a large stand-mixer fit with a paddle, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about one minute.
- Scrape down the sides and add the allulose. Beat on medium speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides. Mix in the egg yolks and eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Whip in the cornstarch and salt until well mixed.
- Spread the cheesecake filling over the apple cranberry filling. Take care not to let the apple cranberry filling rise to the top.
- Bake in the oven until dark brown on the top, about twenty-five to thirty minutes. The cheesecake will still be soft and jiggly. Move to a cooling rack and bring to room temperature before refrigerating.
- Cool for at least two hours before removing the cheesecake bars from the pan with the parchment sling. Use a thin knife dipped into hot water to cut the cheesecake into 16 bars.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
319Fat (grams)
30 gSat. Fat (grams)
13 gCarbs (grams)
10 gFiber (grams)
2 gNet carbs
9 gSugar (grams)
5 gProtein (grams)
5 gSodium (milligrams)
228 mgCholesterol (grams)
101 mgThe information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.