These tequila lime cheesecake bars are the perfect Cinco de Mayo treat!
Happy Friday!
I actually had a healthy muffin recipe all set to post today, but changed my mind. Friday is not a day for healthy muffins. Friday is a day for booze-laden goodies.
I fought the urge to name these tequila lime cheesecake bars ‘margarita’ cheesecake squares. I just really thought you should know…there’s tequila in these guys, not margarita mix concentrate. Tequila…a lot of it.
Actually you can tailor it to your tequila needs. These cheesecake bars can be “Yum” or they can be “Woohoo!!!”. Totally your decision.
I was going to make some sort of Nutella-raspberry swirled squares…but then it hit me. Cinco de Mayo! Tequila! Lime! Yeehaaaa!
{This is about as wild as I get these days…tequila in my cheesecake.}
I was a little worried that tequila in the cheesecake would result in problems with the cheesecake setting. Not so. My last batch, I added a whole 1/4 cup of tequila, plus 2 tablespoons of Cointreau. No problemos setting whatsoever!
I am happy to announce I have finally found my favorite cheesecake bar recipe. I have tried several. Some were too jiggly. Some tasted too ‘eggy’. This one seems to have the right balance. I’m like the Goldilocks of cheesecake bars 😉
This tequila lime cheesecake bars recipe is surprisingly simple and easy. You do need to remember to bring your cream cheese to room temperature {microwaving it will not replace this step, I found out the hard way and ended up with thousands of tiny cream cheese lumps…blech…not appetizing}. You also need to wait for it to set…around 3 hours in the refrigerator. I will admit to sneaking a little sliver before my 3 hours were up! But it is best after it has completely chilled.
I tried this tequila lime cheesecake bars recipe first using 3 tbsp of silver tequila, and found that I couldn’t taste the tequila much…maybe a subtle aftertaste. My second batch, I used 1/4 cup of gold tequila and 2 tbsp Cointreau. I preferred this batch. The tequila flavor is still somewhat subtle though.
Kind of like those super dangerous margaritas you can down on the patio before your head spins and you realize how much tequila you just drank 😉
If you want a boozier cheesecake bar, I’d go with 1/4 cup tequila + 2 tbsp Cointreau. If you want a less boozy cheesecake bar, I’d go with 3 tbsp tequila.
Either way you go, you will have a sweet, tangy, creamy, limey and tequila-ey delicious cheesecake bar.
Have a great week-end!
More Boozy Desserts for us!
- these Bourbon Sugar French Toast Donuts are the perfect way to liven up your coffee break
- and these Spiced Bailey’s Ice Cream Floats will make you feel like a kid again
- and these Guinness & Chocolate Glazed Donut Holes are perfect for St Patrick’s Day!
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 1¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 16-oz cream cheese (2 8-oz packages; *at room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime zest (approximately 2 limes)
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (approximately 2 limes)
- 2-4 tablespoons tequila
- 2 tablespoons cointreau
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Line a 9 X 9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with oil.
- To make crust: melt butter in a medium bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs until combined. Press gently in the bottom of the foil-lined pan.
- Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add lime juice & zest, tequila, cointreau and cream. Mix until completely combined *make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
- Pour cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust, spread into corners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center sets up (it should have a very slight jiggle).
- Allow to cool completely in pan, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cut into squares.
Recipe adapted from All Recipes
I agree. Booze laden goodies is the way to go. This looks like my kind of cheesecake 🙂
Glad you like them 🙂 I love a boozy dessert!
True that! Fridays are for indulging! These photos are gorgeous, Denise! They really capture the creamy richness of these bars. The lime balances out the cream cheese so well! Happy Friday!
Thanks, Mary Frances 🙂 Happy week-end!
I went to buy limes last night and they were $1.50 EACH!!
Oh, I know they are so expensive 🙁 I am totally rationing my limes right now. I read somewhere it’s because of the Mexican drug cartels moving into a new business venture? Don’t know how accurate that is though.
These look so delicious, and so perfect for Cinco de Mayo celebrations!! Pinned 🙂
I wish I had a piece right now. it looks great!
These cheesecake bars look absolutely amazing! Recipe is right up my street! Loving the addition of lime AND tequila- perfect for Cinco de Mayo! 🙂
In one area you mentioned using silver tequila in another gold. Was there a taste difference? Which does the recipe actually call for?
I reeeeeeaaaalllly want to make these, but I don’t want to mess them up.
Hi Lena! I used silver tequila for my first batch, then gold tequila for the second batch because I thought it would have a stronger tequila flavor, but it still ended up somewhat subtle. You could use either type of tequila, I’m normally more into silver, but I didn’t mind the gold in this recipe! Good luck, and let me know how they work out for you 🙂
These look delish! Wish I could just reach through my screen and grab one (sigh)
Thanks, Elizabeth! I am sad I have none left for cinco de mayo 🙁
Oh Noooo! If you make another batch I think you’ll be in time for “Just Because We Want Them Week” LOL Your Sparkling Jalapeno & Cilantro Limeade recipe is on my list to try today! Have a great day!
Oh I hope you like the limeade, it was rather popular at our house!
Oh my, do these look and sound delicious! I love that you used Cointreau in these as well — I think it makes any margarita so much better. This is just a brilliant idea! 🙂
These guys are full of booze 😉
on the tequila lime cheesecake bar recipe, calls for 16 oz cream cheese ( 2 packages at room temp.) is that a total of 16 oz cream cheese meaning 2, 8 oz packages, or is that a total of 32 oz of cream cheese, 2 16 oz packages?
Hi Mary Beth! It’s two 8 oz packages, 16oz total. Sorry for the confusion, I will modify the recipe to be more clear.
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Hi, just found you on Pinterest. These look & sound delicious. I use grand marnier in my margaritas, so good. Can’t wait to make these, love your photo.
Thank-you so much, Cindy 🙂 Hope you like them!
hey–I’m excited to make these this weekend. Question–I have half and half, do I need to heavy cream or can I substitute. For such a small amount, I don’t want to buy…
Thanks!
Hi Julie,
I’ve actually made these without the heavy cream, or any milk, and they still turned out great. I’m sure the half and half would work just fine! Good luck!
Denise
These turned out great! I one-and-half times’d the recipe for my 9×13 pan–three packages of light cream cheese, 3 limes, 3eggs, 3 T of Cointreau and only a little more than 1/4 cup silver tequila. I went a little crazy with the lime juice and zest and it was really runny–I was terrified it wouldn’t set, but it did! The only thing I’d do differently was to let the cream cheese get to room temp in the bowl–it was messy, which is total user error. I also used the whole box of graham cracker crumbs because it was “so close” to the 1.5 amount but then it was too much, so I’d do that correctly next time. I also didn’t line the pan with foil, just greased the glass pan really well with no issues. Everyone raved and said they tasted just like a margarita. I could taste the booze but only in a great way and it was subtle. Thank you so much, Denise!
Thanks for reporting back, Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed the bars 🙂 I have had that same problem with the cream cheese, I got too impatient to wait for it to get to room temperature and it ended up quite lumpy. Thanks for letting us know about the changes you made!
hi, I’m so excited to have found this recipe. We are off to a potluck next week and I’m on dessert. Since we live in Mexico, in the middle of lime country incidentally, these will be perfect. On a side note, the lime orchards around here have been hit particularly hard by a fungus that decimates the lime yield from each tree, which is probably why limes have been so expensive in the north since last Spring. As far as I know, the drug cartels are sticking with narcotics. Doubtless they find them more profitable than citrus, although certainly more deadly.
Hi Stephanie! That makes way more sense that the limes are not being controlled by drug cartels… ha ha what a strange rumor! Hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars!
Just found this recipe and can’t wait to try it… I like in the UK though so we don’t have graham cracker crumbs. Could you suggest an alternative… I was whether maybe ginger snaps or digestive biscuits might work?
Thanks for your help x
Hi Steph! Hmmm…I would probably avoid ginger snaps, but maybe digestive biscuits would work? Let me know how it works out!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Can it be converted to a whole cheesecake, or is it strictly for bars?
Hi Dee! I’ve never actually made this recipe into a whole cheesecake before, however it is very similar to this popular recipe from All Recipes, so I think it would work just fine! Let me know how it goes!
love it. I used 4 tps of tequila + 2 tbs of cognac (didn’t have cointreau) and I think you do taste the booze quite well 😀 on the other hand, it took my cheesecake to bake 1h and it didn’t look as white as yours in the picture. It looked rather yellow. but the taste is awesome, I must say. Simple to make and you don’t taste the eggs which is great.
btw, forgot to add: I used extra aged tekila. recommended!
Hi Ceren! I’m so glad you liked them. I have no idea why your bars were yellow…maybe the aged tequila? I used silver tequila. And I am with you on the eggs. I can’t stand the taste of eggs in my cheesecake 🙂 Thanks for reporting back!