Fruit Pizza

The first time I ever remember having fruit pizza was for my birthday when I was a little girl. I have never really been a big fan of cake, so my mom made me a fruit pizza instead. (My basic philosophy when it comes to cake is: Why eat cake when you can have a brownie?!) I thought it was cool. I have made it a couple other times to bring to various events and it is always a hit. I made this particular one this past weekend and everyone loved it! I used Our Best Bites Sugar Cookie Recipe, which I have posted before and used the fruit I had in the house. The topping and glaze recipe came from Taste of Home. Here's how I did it:

Fruit Pizza

Start with the crust, which is made of a sugar cookie.

Here is the Sugar Cookie Recipe from Our Best Bites:

1 C real butter (no substitutions!)
1 C sugar
1 egg (make sure to use a large or extra large egg)
1 1/2 t almond extract (or other flavor of your choice, like vanilla)
3 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.

Press into a 12 inch pizza pan. I plopped the dough on the cookie sheet and then used a rolling pin to spread it to the edges. (I also made a miniature pizza on a separate pan since I had plenty of dough. My husband and daughters felt special having some of the special dessert I made for my Relief Society picnic!)

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Watch it to make sure it is done, but not overdone.

While the crust is baking make the glaze:

1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice

For glaze, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in the water and orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (I just stuck it in the freezer in a separate bowl for a couple of minutes)

When cooled, spread with
Topping:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipped topping (I actually left this out and it was fine.)

(Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Then, fold in the whipped topping.)

Arrange sliced fruit on top. I used strawberries, blueberries, banana, mandarin oranges. Kiwi looks fantastic on it, I just didn't have any.

Finally, Brush Glaze over the fruit.

Store in the refrigerator.

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta

I guess I am on a Bruschetta kick lately. I made these for myself (and Kenneth) to enjoy on Mother's Day. (In Kenneth's defense, he would have made them for me, but I would much rather he keep the kids happy and let me have fun in the kitchen.) I got the recipe from Our Best Bites. I followed their recipe, but used fresh pineapple in addition to the strawberries, kiwi and the mango. They were quite enjoyable. Of course, it would have tasted much better if I didn't make them myself. Isn't that always the way. Here is the Our Best Bites link to the recipe, which I have also copied and pasted here:

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta with Orange-Honey Cream
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 baguette or similar-sized French bread loaf
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1-1/2 C diced strawberries (about 10 medium strawberries)
1 C finely diced mango (about 1 medium mango)
1 C finely diced kiwi (about 3 kiwi)

1/2 C Breakstone's Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush each piece with melted butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are toasted. Set aside to cool.

While bread is toasting, combine Breakstone's Sour Cream, honey, and orange zest. Stir to combine and place in the fridge.

Combine strawberries, mango, and kiwi and stir gently to combine. When bread is cooled, place about 1 Tbsp. of fruit mixture on top of each toasted bread slice and drizzle with sweet sour cream mixture. If needed, thin sour cream sauce with 1/2-1 tsp orange juice. Garnish with mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.