Fruit Pizza

By srumbel

So if any of you are in a similar boat, let me be the one to introduce you to the wonder that is a fruit pizza, which both is and isn’t exactly what it sounds like. It’s pizza-shaped, sure, and involves a crust, a sauce, and toppings. But instead of a yeast dough, it’s built on a sugar cookie crust, and instead of marinara it has cream cheese frosting, and instead of boring veggies it’s topped with piles and piles of fresh fruit.
from sugarhero.com

Ingredients

• For the Cookie:
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 oz butter, at room temperature
• 11/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon zest (packed)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp cream
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• For the Frosting:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup firm strawberry jam, at room temperature
• 1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• To Assemble:
• 8 cups assorted fresh fruit, washed and sliced
• 1/4 cup apricot jelly or other clear, light-colored jelly
• 1 tbsp water

Preparation

Step 1

To Make the Cookie:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside for a moment.
Combine the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add the cream and lemon extract and mix them in.
Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until there are just a few flour streaks left. Stop the mixer and finish stirring everything together by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Shape the dough into a large disc and wrap the dough in cling wrap. Refrigerate for several hours, until firm. Dough can be made several days in advance.
When the dough is firm, preheat the oven to 350 F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment. Roll out the dough between sheets of parchment or waxed paper until it is a large circle about ½-inch thick. (My egg was about 16x12 inches, but a circle should be in the 14-inch area.) You can make it ever thinner if you’d like—I prefer a thick, soft, cake-like cookie.
Transfer the cookie to the baking sheet, and bake it at 350 F for 15-19 minutes, until it takes on a light golden color and is puffed and set in the middle. Let it cool completely at room temperature. The cookie can be baked several days in advance.

To Make the Frosting:

Beat the cream cheese using a mixer until it is smooth and free of lumps. Add the strawberry jam and 1 cup of powdered sugar, and beat until everything is well-mixed. Taste the frosting, and add more sugar if desired. Remember that it will be combined with a cookie and fruit, so it doesn’t have to be super-sweet on its own. Frosting can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To Assemble:

Spread the frosting in a thin, even layer over the surface of the cookie, leaving a small margin around the edges. Layer the fresh fruit over the frosting in the pattern of your choosing—don’t’ be afraid to play with colors and shapes!
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the jelly and water, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir them together until the jelly is fluid and smooth. It should have the consistency of a thin gel—if it’s still fairly thick, add a bit more water to thin it out. Use a pastry brush to pipe this glaze on top of your fruit. This gives it a lovely shine, and also prevents the cut fruit from looking wilted and tired at room temperature.
Cut the pizza into slices and enjoy! Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes
If you want to save some time, you can use refrigerated sugar cookie dough, and canned cream cheese frosting (or other frosting of your choice.) After the fruit pizza is assembled the cookie tends to get softer, so this is a dessert that’s best enjoyed the day it’s made. The components can be made in advance, though, and kept for several days before you’re ready to assemble the pizza.

Serves:16