I have to say, I think this recipe was inspired. The pretzel crust, while unusual, really takes the cheesecake from “tequila-laced fruit cheesecake” to “margarita cheesecake.” Insanely delicious…it’s my current favorite out of all of the cheesecakes I’ve made!

Pretzel Crust

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together margarine, sugar and pretzels. Press the mixture into a 9 inch springform pan. (You probably won’t need all of it.) Bake in oven for 10 minutes; cool before filling.

Strawberry Margarita Cheesecake

• 3 8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. tequila
• 2 Tbsp. triple sec
• Zest of half a lime
• Thinly sliced fresh strawberries

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and beat 4 to 5 minutes, or until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and lime zest.

Lay sliced strawberries in a thin layer over pretzel crust. Spoon cheesecake mixture over berries. Bake for 50 minutes, or until center is slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and cool 1 hour. Chill for six hours, or overnight.

Margarita Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. tequila
• 2 Tbsp. triple sec

In a mixing bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar, lime juice, tequila, and triple sec; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Dollop on top of cheesecake; garnish with additional strawberries.