Maple Miso Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Base and crumble

• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Apple layer

• 2 medium firm apples, peeled, cored, and diced small, about 2 cups
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp white miso
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Cheesecake and finish

• 12 oz (340 g) cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, for serving

Equipment

8-inch square metal pan, parchment, skillet, mixer, thermometer

Allergens and ingredient notes: Wheat, oats, milk, egg, soy; miso may contain barley or wheat.

Step by step

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the pan with parchment. Rub flour, brown sugar, salt, and the base butter together until clumpy. Reserve ½ cup of this mixture and stir the oats into that reserved portion for the crumble. Press all the remaining mixture firmly into the pan and bake 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile melt the apple butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced apples and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the apple maple syrup, miso, cinnamon, and lemon juice; cook 3–5 minutes until apples are just tender and the liquid coats them. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla briefly. Spread this over the warm pre-baked base. Scatter the cooled apple mixture evenly over it, then crumble the reserved oat mixture over the apples.
4. Bake 35–45 minutes until the crumble is golden, the cheesecake edges are set, and the center reaches 160°F (71°C). A slight wobble is fine; the layer should not look liquid.
5. Cool on a rack for about 1 hour and refrigerate within 2 hours of baking. Chill at least 4 hours before lifting out and cutting into nine bars. Divide the separate serving maple syrup in a thin drizzle over the bars.

The Devotti twist: A small amount of white miso adds savory depth to the maple apples without making the cheesecake salty.

Make ahead and storage

Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Keep chilled until serving.

Image: AI-generated recipe illustration; homemade results and presentation will vary.