Caramel Apple Cheesecake in a Bag
Crushed grahams, no-bake cheesecake filling, and dried apples. Cold water only.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 149
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 120 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- No cook
- Cold soak
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Graham crackers | 3 sheets | crushed at home, coarse not powder |
|---|---|---|
| Instant cheesecake pudding mix | 1/4 cup | the no-bake kind, dry |
| Whole milk powder | 3 tbsp | replaces the cream cheese and yogurt |
| Dried apple rings | 1/3 cup | chopped small |
| Caramel bits | 2 tbsp | the baking kind, or a shelf-stable caramel packet |
| Cinnamon | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | a pinch |
Method
- Drop the chopped apples and caramel bits into your cup or bag with 2 tbsp of the cold water. Let them sit while you do the rest.
- In the freezer bag, combine the pudding mix, milk powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add 100 ml cold water.
- Seal out the air and knead the bag for a minute. It goes from lumpy to thick.
- Let it stand ten minutes. It firms up as it sits.
- Stir the softened apples and caramel through, then top with the crushed grahams so they stay crisp.
- Eat from the bag with a long spoon.
The home version leans on refrigerated cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and aerosol whipped topping, none of which survive a pack. Instant cheesecake pudding mix plus whole milk powder does the same job dry: the mix carries the modified starch that sets the filling, and the milk powder brings back the fat and the tang the pudding expects. Cold water is enough to set it, which means no stove and no fuel spent on dessert.
The crust becomes a topping instead of a base. There is no way to keep a pressed graham crust intact in a pack, so the crackers ride separate and go on last, where they stay crisp for the few minutes it takes to eat. Dried apples need a head start in water or they stay leathery; the caramel bits soften alongside them and thin into something close to a sauce.
Packing
Two bags per serving: pudding mix, milk powder, cinnamon, and salt in one; grahams, apples, and caramel in the other. Crushed grahams turn to dust if they ride loose against the pudding powder.
Variations
- Warm water sets it faster in the cold, though the texture goes softer.
- A spoonful of powdered peanut butter in the filling adds protein. No longer nut-free.
- Freeze-dried apple pieces instead of dried rings, if you want crunch instead of chew.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/no-bake-mini-caramel-apple-pie-cheesecakes