Fruit Pizza

A delicious success, indeed!

Cookie Crust Bake Temperature: 350 degrees
Cookie Crust Bake Time: 17-20 minutes

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Crust
1 1/2 c. sugar (plus 1-2 tbsp for sprinkling*)
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
14 tbsp. unsalted butter (softened)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Creamy Frosting
12 oz. cream cheese (softened)
7 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

Assorted sliced fresh fruits
(i.e. strawberries, kiwi, red grapes, blueberries, mandarin oranges, raspberries)

Directions:

Beat softened butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy.
Add vanilla and eggs and mix until combined.
Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
Chill the dough until it will be workable, yet no sticky to the touch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the round baking stone you'll be using. Press and roll the chilled dough into one big cookie (see image below) on the parchment paper covered baking stone. *Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are golden. Remove from the oven and let the cookie cool. Cover and chill in fridge.

The baked sugar cookie crust.

Mix frosting ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread on the chilled cookie.
NOTE: I seemed to use only half the frosting on my cookie. I left the ingredient amounts the same, though, because you may prefer to use more...always better to have some left over than to run out!

Chill frosted cookie to set and thicken the frosting.

Multitasking; one spread frosting as the other slices fruit. 

Top with fresh fruits. We started from the outer edge and worked our way in. Call us Perfectionators, but we chose to go with a circular pattern where larger fruits were more prevalent on the outer edge, working our way to smaller fruits in the center. I promise it goes much faster (and is much easier) than it looks! 

Half way there...

Cut into slices and serve! We chose to cut ours into square pieces to serve more (and allow them to choose fruits they enjoyed) rather than cutting them into typical "pizza" slices. 

The final product was a hit at our family reunion..."too beautiful to eat"...except we ate it (ALL) anyways.

Our family loved it and so will yours!

(adapted from a recipe found at http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/160602273/fruit-pizza/)

Introducing: The Perfectionators!

Holiday weekends bring on a whole lot of pressure for a family; cleaning, decorations, baking, crafting and for our family specifically the family reunion.

Being the overachieving hostesses we are, we take this event to a whole new level with extravagant dishes, incredible acts of showmanship and bringing gifts of deliciousness for all to share. This year specifically we went overboard (i.e. red, white and blue chocolate and sprinkle covered strawberries, fruit pizza, sand pudding, calico beans, pasta salads...). To be honest if I didn't have Mom and her forty-something years of experience it could have been a wreck...

After spending hours following half-written recipes and unclear directions (which are now full of floury handwritten notes in the margins) an idea came to mind: I would take these "starter" recipes and complete them (with proof of success and visual aids....oooooo) so everyone can enjoy creating these delectable hits (and avoid the misses) with ease!

Enter The Perfectionators!

Have a DIY recipe or project you've been itching to try? Let us test the waters and let you know in better detail what (and what not) to do. This is how we do it!