Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars

Name: Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter (melted); 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs; 16- oz cream cheese (2 8-oz packages; *at room temperature); 1/2 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)

May 2, 2014 44 Comments

Desserts

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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!

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3.5 from 2 votes