Caramel Cheesecake Bars With Praline Pecan Topping

Caramel cheesecake bars with praline pecan topping are decadent, addictive, and best of all–easy dessert bars to make.

The dessert bars are perfect for the holidays but will work for any occasion. And, people will be begging for more of this great recipe.

Sweet Caramel Squares

Y’all don’t need anything fancy to make this dessert, just a few ingredients, and a square pan.

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make the Cheesecake Squares?

Crust Ingredients

• Graham crackers
• Butter
• Regular white sugar

Cheesecake Layer

• Brown sugar
• Cream cheese
• All-purpose flour
• Sour cream
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• Caramel topping

Top Gooey Layer

• Caramel topping
• Pecans

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions are listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

• Graham crackers – the crackers are going to create a delicious crust for the cheesecake. The crackers make a great crust for a variety of desserts.
• Butter – the melted butter will help hold the crust together.
• Sugar – the sugar will help sweeten the crust.
• Cream cheese – the cream cheese will create the cheesecake and make the dessert creamy and smooth.
• Flour – The flour will help keep the bars from cracking as it bakes.
• Sour cream – sour cream gives some moisture to desserts.
• Egg – the egg will give the cheesecake a rich flavor and help keep it smooth.
• Vanilla extract – this will help bring out all of the flavors in the dessert. Vanilla is one of those ingredients that makes foods taste amazing. I always tend to add a tad extra when using it.
• Caramel topping – caramel dip or topping worked great for this recipe because it didn’t make the cheesecake too thick when cold, and drizzling it on the top makes it that much more divine.
• Pecans – if you love a little bit of crunch alongside creaminess, you will love the chopped pecans in this dessert.

How Do You Make The Caramel Cheesecake Bars With Praline Pecan Topping?

1. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs, add the white sugar, and melted butter, mix and press into a pan lined with tin foil.
2. Next, add the softened cream cheese to a large bowl and cream.
3. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, egg, and brown sugar and mix well.
4. Sprinkle the flour into the bowl and mix.
5. Next, pour the caramel topping into the bowl and mix well.
6. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker mixture and bake for 40-50 minutes and refrigerate for one hour.
7. Finally, mix the pecans and caramel in a small bowl and pour over the cheesecake bars.
8. Refrigerate for three more hours.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Buttery Graham Cracker Crust

Start by adding the graham crackers to a Cuisinart food processor and crush.

What if I don’t have a Cuisinart?

If you don’t have a Cuisinart you can add the graham crackers to a large Ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

The crumbs don’t have to be perfect but crushed the best you can.

For this recipe, I used about eight graham crackers or one sleeve from the box.

Next, add the regular white sugar to the Cuisinart.

Again, if you don’t have a Cuisinart, just pour the graham crackers into a medium bowl and pour the sugar in and mix.

Melt the butter and pour it into the bowl or Cuisinart and mix.

The butter is what is going to hold the crust together. And, let me tell you, there’s not much out there better than the smell of a buttery graham cracker crust.

Line a square pan with tin foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Press the graham cracker mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan.

I used an 8-inch by 8-inch pan for the recipe. You can also use a 9-inch by 9-inch pan if that is all you have.

Cream Cheese Mixture

Add the softened cream cheese to a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer.

If you have a Kitchenaid Mixer you can use that as well.

Next, combine cream cheese and sour cream.

Pour the vanilla extract into the bowl and add the brown sugar.

I added two teaspoons of vanilla extract to the bowl because it really does bring out the flavors.

One egg is next on the ingredient list. Once you’ve added the egg mix the ingredients well.

Finally, add the flour and caramel topping to the bowl and mix.

The recipe features two layers of caramel, one in the cheesecake mixture and the other on top.

I chose the caramel topping because it pours so much easier than regular melted caramels.

I didn’t use the caramels that you purchase in the bag individually wrapped because this dessert needs to be chilled before eating and those types of caramels will get too hard to eat.

Don’t get me wrong, I can sit and eat a bag of those caramels quite easily, but for this recipe, the caramel topping works best.

For this recipe, I bought Hershey’s Caramel Topping in the 14 oz container.

Pour the creamy cheesecake layer into a prepared pan with tin foil coated in non-stick spray.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The cheesecake will be golden brown and the center will be soft. The center will firm up when you refrigerate it.

You can also use parchment paper for this recipe if you’d like to use that instead.

Allow the cheesecake to cool for at least an hour in the refrigerator before adding the sauce.

Gooey Praline Sauce

For the topping, pour the caramel into a bowl along with the chopped pecans and mix them together.

Pour the caramel pecan mixture on top of the cheesecake and gently spread it to the edges.

Place the dessert back in the refrigerator for at least three more hours to firm up.

Once the dessert has chilled, you can lift the tin foil out of the pan and easily cut the squares.

If you love sweet stuff, get yourself another cup of the caramel topping and drizzle a little more over the top!

Other Delicious Desserts

If y’all love pecan recipes, you’re sure to love these other pecan desserts.

They are perfect for the holidays, parties, church potlucks, and you can always make them at home and keep them there to munch on (I love that last option).

These are some of my favorite things.

• Praline pecans recipe – these are so easy to make and they are great gifts. I sent some to my dad, which took a couple of days, and they were in great condition and he loved them. I loooove the taste of southern pralines.
• Butter pecan cookies are soft, chewy, and super flavorful. In this recipe, you brown the butter which gives a deep and rich flavor.
• Butter pecan fudge – this is one of those fudge recipes that once you taste it you can’t stop eating it. It’s decadent and soooo delish.
• Pecan sandie cookies have a delicate buttery sweet flavor. And the best part of this recipe? They are super easy to make.
• Pecan pie cheesecake bars are very similar to the caramel bars with a few different ingredients. They are always a hit at parties and have been a popular recipe on the blog.
• Easy pecan pie recipe – this is a good old faithful pecan pie recipe. My dad makes this every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a simple recipe and always turns out perfect.
• Pecan pie bars are like a pecan pie rolled into a bar. They are crunchy, gooey, and delicious with candied pecans on top.
• Pecan pie brownies are honestly one of my most popular recipes. How can you go wrong with homemade chocolate brownies topped with pecan pie?
• And, Southern Bite has some amazing deep fried pecan pies that y’all will love.

Can you add toasted pecans?

Yes! You can toast the pecans by adding a tablespoon of butter to a small saucepan along with the chopped pecans on medium heat and toasting for about five minutes.

Stir the pecans on occasion so they don’t burn and add them to the sauce when you’re done cooking.

I hope y’all love these pecan praline cheesecake bars. They are so creamy and rich and out-of-this-world.

Caramel Cheesecake Bars With Praline Pecan Topping

Check out the recipe card below, grab those ingredients, and start baking! This is a wonderful dessert.

Then, share your comments below and share a picture of your creamy cheesecake bars on the Pinterest Pin!  If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!