Name: Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups pretzels (crushed into a fine powder); 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (melted); 4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (softened to room temperature); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon lime zest; 1/2 cup lime juice; 1/2 cup tequila; 1/4 cup grand marnier; 4 large eggs (room temperature); 1 (6 oz) package fresh raspberries; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

These tequila lime cheesecake bars are perfect for celebrating National Margarita Day! The slightly crunchy pretzel crust mimics the salty rim on a margarita and the cheesecake filling is so creamy and filled with cream cheese, lime juice, tequila, and grand mariner!

Haaaappy Friday! Do I need to remind you that tonight is Friday Night Mexican Night? 😉 It isn’t a coincidence that I made these tequila lime cheesecake bars to celebrate! Although I love my Friday Night Mexican Nights, I’m actually really excited for this Sunday, because it’s National Margarita Day and you know what that means! Yep! Mexican night two times in 3 days! It’s kind of crazy how happy that makes me, but I’m totally okay with it.

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I haven’t kept my love for margaritas a secret. I feel as if I’ve shouted my love for margaritas to the whole world, because I want everyone to know how much I love them! I’ve already shared my Devil’s Margarita and my Jalapeno Margarita, so I didn’t want to make you guys another margarita recipe…yet ;)…but I just HAD to post something in honor of National Margarita Day. It just wouldn’t be right not to. That’s where these tequila lime cheesecake bars come into play, because my second favorite thing after margaritas is dessert, so I mean, what could be more perfect than tequila spiked dessert?!

There are certain things that I like being good at and other things I could not care less about. I care about being a good cook, a good wife, a good mom to my furry baby, a good Catch Phrase player, and by being good, I mean, I’m a major perfectionist… in the worst way possible. That being said, there are other things that I don’t care about being good at. Pool, for example, is not my strong suit, and I’m okay with that.

The other day, Trevor and I went to a local pub for some lunch. We love going there, because the food is amazing, we can bring Teddy with us, and they have a pool table that’s hardly occupied! Plus, they make a killer moonshine margarita! 😉 We started playing straight pool, which is my favorite, because I can hit any ball into the holes, without worrying if it’s a stripe or a solid. Perfect. Trevor, being the great man he is, always gives me a handicap. Every ball I get in, I get two points vs his one point per ball. Long story short, the score ended up being Trevor – 30 : Jennifer – 10. Womp. Womp. We had a blast!

After our fun outing, Trevor needed to get some work done and I really needed to get started on these tequila lime cheesecake bars. I had a pretty clear vision on how I thought these would go…boy oh boy, I was so, so wrong. It took me 3 times to get it just right! The first batch was too fluffy and I was trying to make raspberry lime tequila pie.

Fail! The filling was too airy, you couldn’t taste the tequila, and the crust was just…bad. Ok. Let’s try again.

The second time, I decided to ditch the pie idea and make these raspberry lime tequila cheesecake bars. I made them in an odd sized pan – I think it was a 8 x 9 inch pan (what??), I didn’t crush the pretzels enough for the crust, so it turned out chewy, and I made the worst baking mistake. Ever. It was a rookie move, but I didn’t have time to make it right…

I didn’t let my cream cheese come to room temperature. GAAAASP!

What was I thinking?! 😉 The cheesecake mixture turned out so lumpy, it was just wrong. I had also tried to swirl in a raspberry sauce and it gave the top a gelatinous film. Ewwww.

So now I’m thinking, third times the charm, right?! YESSSSSS. Finally! I let all my filling ingredients come to room temperature so the filling was creamy and I made these bars in a 9 x 13 inch pan, so the crust was the perfect thickness and had just the right amount of crunch, and I decided to drizzle the raspberry sauce after the cheesecake had baked, so there was no funky film on top of the bars!

THANK. GOODNESS. I’m sure Trevor feels the same way, too, because if he had to watch me make one more failed recipe of tequila lime cheesecake bars, I think he would’ve thrown me in a cold shower to keep me from going into a rage blackout ;)[ad2]

So now you KNOW these tequila lime cheesecake bars are good, because it took me 3 times to get them right, but that’s how we all learn, I suppose!

Start by making the pretzel crust. Finely grind pretzels in a food processor until they make a fine powder. You really should have no pretzel chunks remaining, or your crust will become chewy. Mix the pretzel powder with melted butter and brown sugar. Place the crust mixture into a 9 x 13 in pan that’s been lined with tin foil. The foil should hang off the sides of the pan for easy removal! Make sure to press the mixture down firmly. Bake this in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven. While the crust is cooling, make your filling. Again, all of the filling ingredients should be a room temperature for optimal creaminess! 🙂

Beat cream cheese and sugar with your stand mixer until creamy. Now mix in lime juice, lime zest, tequila, and grand marnier. Mix until completely combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once everything has been fully incorporated, beat in eggs one at a time.

Now pour the filling on top of the crust. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. The edges will have lightly browned and the center should have a slight jiggle. Remove from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Now, place in the fridge for at least three hours before serving.

Before serving, make your raspberry drizzle! This is completely optional, but I love raspberry margaritas! Simply place raspberries and sugar into a food processor and process until smooth. Now strain this mixture through a fine mesh strainer. You’ll need to use a spatula to push the mixture through the strainer.

Then, I poured this into a squeeze bottle (it cost 99 cents at World Market – score!) and drizzled the raspberry syrup over the bars!

The final results of these tequila lime cheesecake bars were well worth the previous recipe fails! The pretzel crust turned out perfectly crunchy, and I love how the pretzel crust acts like the salty rim on your margarita glass! The cheesecake filling is so creamy and smooth and the tequila and grand mariner add a fun and boozy twist! Since the taste of the tequila is pretty prominent in this recipe, I’d definitely suggest using a good quality tequila!

I was lucky enough to be asked to try Partida Tequila Blanco! It. Is. Smooooth. It was the best choice for these bars, so the tequila flavor comes through, without making you wince from a strong alcohol taste!