Whipped Cottage Cheese Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cups

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These Whipped Cottage Cheese Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cups are such a fun and easy dessert for fall! Creamy whipped cottage cheese cheesecake is layered with buttery cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, sweet apple pie filling, homemade whipped cream, and plenty of caramel sauce. For this recipe I’m using small curd cottage cheese, salted butter, and heavy whipping cream all from Umpqua Dairy, THE premium dairy brand. The cottage cheese blends beautifully with cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, creating a smooth and creamy filling that works perfectly with the apples and caramel. (And the added protein is a bonus plus quite invisible to the taste!). 

Because these are assembled in individual cups, there’s no baking, slicing, or complicated cheesecake-making involved. Just layer everything together, add that caramel drizzle, and you have an easy fall dessert ready to enjoy! Let’s make them. 

Whipped Cottage Cheese Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cups 

Yield: About 3 dessert cups

For the Whipped Cottage Cheese Cheesecake:

• 1 Cup (225 g) Umpqua Dairy Cottage Cheese
• 4 Ounces (113 g) Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons (60 g) Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 Teaspoon (5 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract
• ½ Teaspoon (1.3 g) Ground Cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Graham Crumbs:

• 1 Cup (100 g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons (28 g) Umpqua Dairy Salted Butter, melted
• ½ Teaspoon (1.3 g) Ground Cinnamon

For the Whipped Cream:

• ½ Cup (120 mL) Umpqua Dairy Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 Tablespoon (8 g) Powdered Sugar
• ½ Teaspoon (2.5 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

For Layering:

• 1 Can Apple Pie Filling 
• Caramel Sauce

Instructions

Make the Whipped Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Add the Umpqua Dairy Cottage Cheese, softened cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon to a blender or food processor.

Blend until completely smooth and creamy. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice depending on your blender or food processor.

The key here is giving the mixture enough time to become really smooth. Once blended, the cottage cheese transforms into a wonderfully creamy cheesecake-style filling.

Make the Cinnamon Graham Crumbs

Add the graham cracker crumbs, melted Umpqua Dairy Salted Butter, and cinnamon to a small bowl.

Stir until all of the graham cracker crumbs are evenly coated in the butter and the cinnamon is well distributed.

Make the Homemade Whipped Cream

Add the cold Umpqua Dairy Heavy Whipping Cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overmix it. You want the whipped cream to be light, fluffy, and soft enough to spoon right on top of each cheesecake cup.

Assemble the Cheesecake Cups

Spoon a layer of the whipped cottage cheese cheesecake filling into each cup, followed by a layer of cinnamon graham crumbs, Top this with a layer of apple pie filling. Repeat the layers as desired depending on the size and shape of your cups.

Finish each dessert with a generous dollop of homemade whipped cream, a sprinkle of the remaining cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, and a generous drizzle of caramel sauce.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy them!

An Easy No-Bake Fall Dessert

One of my favorite things about these cheesecake cups is just how easy they are to make. There’s no cheesecake pan, water bath, oven, or long baking time involved.

Using cottage cheese also gives us a really easy way to create that creamy cheesecake-style filling (plus that added protein!). Once it’s blended with softened cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, you end up with a silky filling that feels right at home in a fall dessert.

I also love using prepared apple pie filling here because it keeps the recipe incredibly simple. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make These Cheesecake Cups Ahead of Time?

Yes! You can assemble these cheesecake cups ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.

If you want the graham cracker crumbs to retain more of their texture, you can also prepare each component separately and assemble the cups closer to serving time.

The whipped cottage cheese cheesecake filling can be made ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator, and the cinnamon graham crumbs can be stored separately in an airtight container.

Does the Cottage Cheese Filling Taste Like Cottage Cheese?

Once the cottage cheese is thoroughly blended with cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, it becomes incredibly smooth and creamy.

Make sure you blend the mixture long enough to remove the traditional cottage cheese texture. A good blender or food processor makes this especially easy.

Can I Use Homemade Apple Pie Filling?

Absolutely! Homemade apple pie filling would be delicious in these cheesecake cups.

However, using canned apple pie filling is one of the things that makes this recipe so quick and convenient. It means you can put together a beautiful layered fall dessert without having to cook the apples separately.

If you do use homemade filling, just make sure it has cooled completely before layering it with the cheesecake filling and whipped cream.

Conclusion

These Whipped Cottage Cheese Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cups are everything an easy fall dessert should be: creamy, spiced, filled with apples, and finished with buttery caramel.

Whether you’re making these for a fall gathering or just want something sweet after dinner, these little caramel apple cheesecake cups are an easy way to bring some cozy fall flavor to the table. 🍎🍂

A special thank you to Umqua Dairy for sponsoring this recipe! Be sure to check out their full lineup of incredible dairy products at umpquadairy.com, and happy (no) baking! 

XO, 

Heather 

PS: Try my Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars for another fabulously fall flavored dessert!