My kiddos are at the ages where working in the kitchen is really exciting and fun. Getting to stir the mac-n-cheese or use their knives to cut veggies, fruits, and cheese is their favorite. And just the idea of washing the dishes, well that’s basically playing in water and it doesn’t get much better than that. Whenever they get to bake with me though, it is definitely a treat. It takes a little planning, prep work, and patience on my part, but the one-on-one time spent and the joy they have is definitely worth it. While the answer isn’t always yes when they ask to help, I am reminded that slowing down and taking the time to invest in teaching them skills in the kitchen now will be wildly beneficial for them one day soon!
This fruit pizza is perfect to make with kids, whether they are young or reaching those teenage years. With multiple steps and things to prepare, there is a job for everyone and plenty of room for creativity. If you aren’t familiar with fruit pizza, it’s basically a glorified cookie topped with fruit! A sugar cookie crust is layered with cream cheese frosting and then topped with colorful assorted fruits. Using this recipe, you can choose to make one large fruit pizza, three 6-8 inch fruit pizzas, or individual cookie sized fruit pizzas! This dessert is best enjoyed soon after being prepared, but the individual elements stay fresh on their own for a few days and can be prepped ahead of time.
The dough for the fruit pizza is one of my favorite cut-out sugar cookie recipes. It’s a simple and delicious recipe, but does require a chill time so keep that in mind.
To begin, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well until combined. Next, mix in the salt and vanilla and then gradually add the flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours or until firm. You can definitely mix up the dough ahead of time so that it’s ready and waiting when it’s time to bake.
While waiting on the dough to chill, go ahead and make the cream cheese frosting. Using a mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until cohesive. Then gradually mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. That’s it! You can also use this time to prep any fruits that you would like to use. I chose to work with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, banana, and oranges.
Try and stay away from really watery fruits like melons as they will cause your fruit pizza to become a sugary soggy mess. Wash and dry your fruit and then cut into bite-size pieces.
Once the dough is chilled and firm, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick. At this point, you can decide what size pizza you are going with. A large pizza works well for a statement dessert. Individual sizes are perfect for each kiddo to have their own to decorate. Cookie size allows you to set up a fun fruit pizza bar where everyone can assemble their own when needed. It’s hard to go wrong! Once rolled out and cut, place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill again in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This helps the dough set up once more so that it doesn’t spread while baking.
For one large pizza or 2-3 personal sizes, bake at 375 degrees for 19-23 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. For cookie size, bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Let the cookie cool completely before assembly!
When everything is ready to assemble, spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cookie and decorate as you wish. Have fun, be creative, and see what different designs or patterns everyone can come up with! My kiddos just piled all of their favorite fruits on top! Once the frosting and fruit are touching, the sugar will cause the fruit will begin to macerate, or produce natural juices. This is normal and doesn’t affect the deliciousness of your desert one bit, but wait to assemble your fruit pizza until you are ready to enjoy it.
If you are in a pinch for time and would still like to make a fruit pizza with your crew, just add sugar cookie dough, icing, and fruit to your Plan to Eat shopping list so that you will remember to grab it the next time you are at the store. Then when you have time you can come back and try this recipe!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and make some sweet memories in the kitchen!
Anna
Fruit Pizza
With a sugar cookie crust layered with cream cheese frosting and topped with colorful assorted fruits, this fruit pizza is the perfect summer dessert!
Source: The Little Blue Mixer
Course: Desserts
Prep Time: 2 hr 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hr 35 min
Serves:
Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3⁄4 cups flour
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
- Fruit Topping Ideas
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Kiwi
- Banana
- Oranges
- Grapes
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix until combined.
- Mix in the salt and vanilla and then gradually mix in the flour.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm.
- While the dough chills, make the cream cheese frosting - Using a mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until cohesive. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Prep any fruits that you would like to use. Wash and dry the fruit well and then cut into bitesized pieces. Try and stay away from watery fruits as they will cause your fruit pizza to become a sugary soggy mess.
- Once the dough is chilled and firm, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick. Decide what size pizza you are going with - one large, three 6-8 inch pizzas, or lots of 2-3 inch cookies. Cut out the dough if needed and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill again for about 10 minutes.
- For one large pizza or 2-3 personal sizes, bake at 375 degrees for 19-23 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. For cookie size, bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Let cool completely before assembly!
- When ready to assemble, spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cookie and decorate with the fruit. *Once the frosting and fruit are touching, the fruit will begin to macerate, or produce natural juices. So, wait to assemble until you are ready to enjoy!
- Enjoy!
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