Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars
By: Jennifer Debth
Published: Friday, February 27, 2015 - 8:56am

Ingredients




The crust:
1 and ½ cups pretzels, crushed into a fine powder
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
The filling:
32 oz (4 (8 oz) packages) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
½ cup lime juice
½ cup tequila blanco
¼ cup grand marnier
4 whole eggs, room temperature
The raspberry drizzle:
1 (6 oz) package fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation

1 The crust and filling: 2 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. 3 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! :) 4 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. 5 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. 6 The raspberry syrup: 7 Blend the fresh raspberries and sugar in a food processor until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. This takes a little elbow grease. Use a spatula to press the mixture through. You should end up with about ½ cup raspberry sauce. Place in a squeeze bottle and drizzle over the bars! 8 NOTES 9 The tequila flavor gets stronger as the days go by. I thought these were perfect on the first day, but if you really like the taste of tequila, these are great a few days later, too!

About

Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars - a margarita in bar form! A salty pretzel crust, topped with a creamy tequila filled cheesecake! A perfect adults only dessert :)