Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars

Oh my gosh, you won’t believe how delicious these Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars are. I saw the recipe on Favorite Family Recipes last fall and made it for a special occasion at the beginning of November. We couldn’t believe how good they were. We also shared them with my in-laws and they thought they were super delicious, too. In fact, my father in-law ate all the leftovers himself! They’re rich, yet light and refreshing while the lime and coconut balance each other perfectly. And then there’s the cookie crust. And the toasted coconut on top. I can’t say enough good things about these bars.

Then I made them in December for a Christmas party we attended and everyone loved them and I just made them again last week for my birthday dessert. My hubby and I aren’t huge cake lovers so I decided to make this. And we had plenty leftover to share with family members on Valentine’s Day. This is a dessert recipe we plan to keep and make again and again whenever we want a very special treat.

Serving Size: 9x13 pan

Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

For the Crust

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
16 ounces cream of coconut (found near the alcoholic drink mixers at the grocery store (it is not alcoholic!)
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract

For the Frosting

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups powdered sugar

For the Topping

1 cup coconut, toasted ~ how to make toasted coconut‎

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

For the Crust

In a stand mixer (or by hand), blend the butter and sugar together.
Add the yolks and mix well.
Mix in the salt and then the flour, gradually until it is all well combined. The crust mix will be crumbly.
Press evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cool for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

For the Filling

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute.
Slowly add the cream of coconut until it's well blended.
Stir in the lime juice and coconut extract.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
Spread the mixture evenly over the cookie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set and golden brown around the edges.
Cool for 20 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour (or a little more).

For the Frosting and Topping

In a stand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add the coconut extract and lime juice.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar and blend well.
Spread the frosting over the cheesecake layer.
Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

You can mix this dessert by hand but I use my stand mixer for each of the steps. It means that I have to wash the bowl between the steps but I like how they each turn out by using my stand mixer.

http://www.abrightandbeautifullife.com/coconut-lime-cheesecake-bars/

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