Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.

Place the graham cracker crumbs in a food processor and process to obtain fine crumbs.

Add the brown sugar and mix to combine.

Melt the butter and mix with the crumbs and sugar.

Line the bottom of an 8” or 9” cheesecake pan with parchment paper. If using an 8” springform pan, ensure it's deep. Press the graham cracker mixture into the pan evenly, going up the sides a little bit.

Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove it from the oven and let it cool down.

Peel and core the apples, chop into small pieces. Place the chopped apples in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together.

Add the butter to the flour and sugar, and use a fork to mix until incorporated.

Add one cup of the crumb mixture to the apples and stir to combine to form an apple/crumb mixture. Place it in the fridge.

Also place the remaining crumbs in the fridge.

Beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes with a mixer at medium speed, until creamy.

Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes at medium speed.

Scrape the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.

Add the sour cream and apple sauce, mix to combine. Make sure to scrape the bowl a few times during the mixing process.

Add the eggs one at a time to the bowl, mixing until incorporated before adding the next one. Avoid overmixing once the eggs are added to prevent cracking of the cheesecake.

Add the final egg yolk with the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and mix until combined.

Prepare for baking in a water bath: Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a few layers of aluminum foil to prevent water from leaking in. Get water boiling in a kettle.

Pour half of the cheesecake batter into the pan over the baked and cooled crust.

Spread half of the apple/crumb mixture on top of the cheesecake batter.

Pour the remaining cheesecake batter on top to make another cheesecake layer.

Spread the remaining apple crumb mixture on top.

Top with the remaining crumbs that you reserved (not mixed with apples) and spread them in an even layer.

Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and add the hot water to the bottom of the roasting pan. This creates a water bath, which helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking.

Carefully load the cheesecake into the 325ºF preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, until the cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center but set around the edges.

Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there for 1 hour.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack before refrigerating for at least 6 hours or overnight.