The Essential Summer Dessert

Last weekend, my Business Man and I hosted a fiesta for some of our friends in the Bean Town. While everyone enjoyed the food, I think dessert was the biggest hit. (Surprise, surprise.)


We had brownies (from a box, the horror!) topped with chocolate ganache, and fruit pizza.

Fruit pizza is most definitely my "go-to" summer dessert. Since it's the official 1st day of summer, I thought I'd share the recipe! It's delicious without being too heavy or rich. And it's most definitely healthy, because you are eating fruit, right?

The recipe I use is my mom's... she's been using it for years. It starts with a basic sugar cookie base, topped with a cream cheese-whipped topping, and then all the fruit your little heart desires! I usually go with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, and mandarin oranges. But raspberries are really good, too.

Even better when you pick the fruit yourself! (Picking berries on our honeymoon last July.)

A funny story about me & my Business Man (feel free to scroll to the bottom if you don't care): 


In the past, when I've made fruit pizza, I've always lined up the fruits in rows, like little soldiers. A row of strawberries, then a row of mandarin oranges, then pineapple, then kiwi, then blueberries. And it always had to be in rainbow order.  (Control freak much?) 


Anyways, one day I was getting the fruit pizza ready, and it was taking forever. And we were in a hurry. So my Business Man just started throwing the fruit all around, in no order whatsoever. (Insert ridiculous emotional break-down because he was ruining my dessert.) After several minutes of arguing, which might have included some tears (and not by my Business Man), I came to the conclusion that the fruit pizza would look okay if the fruit wasn't in rows. I would survive.


And now look at how I make it, years later: scattered all about. I guess my Business Man does know a thing or two. The only requirement I have now is that there has to be so much fruit loaded on the pizza that the cream cheese layer can hardly be seen. 


So, after all that, here's the recipe! Make this for your summer cook-outs or just to eat yourself. It makes a good breakfast, too. (Hehe.)

Fruit Pizza

Servings/Yield

16-20 servings

• Crust
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Topping
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 container Cool Whip, thawed
• Assorted Fresh Fruit

Method

For crust, combine oil, sugar, powdered sugar, and butter. Mix well. Add egg. Add dry ingredients. Spread into greased 15x10-inch or 11x17-inch pan, sealing edges. Bake 12 minutes at 375*F until lightly browned. Let cool.

For topping, blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese mixture. Store in refrigerator.