Margarita Bars With Salted Ritz Cracker Crust

Creamy margarita bar on plate with forkful.

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Margarita Bars With Salted Ritz Cracker Crust

Prep Time15

Cook Time17

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

Ritz Cracker Crust

52 ritz crackers (approx. 2 cups cracker crumbs)
½ cup unsalted butter melted, slightly cooled
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt

Margarita Filling

2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 large whole eggs room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature
⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp Cointreau or orange liqueur, orange juice can also be subbed
¼ cup tequila use an alcohol removed tequila or more lime juice for alcohol free
1- 1 ½ Tbsp lime zest
½ cup sour cream room temperature

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare the crust: add the crackers to a food processor and process until a fine crumb. Add in the melted butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and pulse until fully combined.
Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the cracker crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Press VERY WELL to help the crust hold together well. Bake 10-15 minutes until a nice golden brown and set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the creamy margarita filling: Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine until smooth and creamy. It's important to have room temperature ingredients for the smoothest mixture.
Pour the mixture over the prepared cracker crust. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just set—it may be a bit jiggly still and that is ok.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes to an hour before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, ideally 4-6 hours to fully set.
Sprinkle with flakey sea salt and fresh lime zest when slicing.

Notes

You do NOT have to use alcohol in this margarita bar recipe. You can still have great results by just using some extra lime juice and orange juice in place of the orange liqueur. The version with the tequila and cointreau have a bit more of a zing to them, but these are still AMAZING without.

Don't over mix the tequila lime mixture. For sturdy bars that hold up well, you only want to whisk until smooth. This will keep from adding air bubbles into the filling that will get trapped while baking. You can even make the mixture the day before baking to allow it to sit and for any air bubbles to pop before baking.

Try not to over bake your bars. The lime filling will be slightly firm when baked but still have some jiggle. If you nudge the pan and it still wiggles a bit, that is the goal. This is ideal to keep the texture smooth and creamy. It will set even more as it chills. Over baked bars will have a bit more of a rubbery texture.

Storage: These bars will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week. The crust may become a bit soggy around day 4 or 5, but they are still edible!

To freeze, allow them to cool and set completely. Seal in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. We like to slice them and flash freeze for an hour in a single layer and then transfer to a container with parchment paper to separate layers. Thaw in the refrigerator for best results.

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