Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Dessert Pizza
This large, pizza-size, baked sugar cookie covered with a layer of sweetened cream cheese lightened with whipped cream and topped with a strawberry glaze mixed with sliced strawberries and kiwi is a perfect dessert for the summer season. Regardless of the ripeness, tartness, or sweetness of the fruit, the glaze balances out any inconsistencies, adds color, depth, and indulgence to the overall dessert.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust:
- 84 g (6 tbsp) butter softened
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg 50-60 g
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 156 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
- ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz (1 pkg) cream cheese softened
- 90 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
- 9 oz thawed whipped topping from frozen (like Cool Whip or SO Coco Whip)
Strawberry Kiwi Glaze:
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 32 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
- 85 g (3 oz or 1 small box) strawberry gelatin like Jell-O
- 8 oz (1 cup) water or strawberry juice
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 cups (1 pound or 1 pint) strawberries sliced
- 2 cups 5 kiwi peeled and sliced
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Crust:
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip butter until smooth. Add sugar and whip again until light and creamy. Add egg and extracts whipping again until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In stages, add flour mixture (~¼ cup or so at a time) to butter mixture stirring between additions until all combined.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Prepare a 12-inch round pizza pan (or large 9x13 casserole dish). If you intend to transfer the cookie to another dish with high sides to hold the toppings, cut a sheet of parchment paper to the size of the pan. Butter the pan and place the paper down so that it sticks and rub your fingers along the paper to smooth it out. Butter the top of the paper. If the cookie will be topped in the same pan it is baked in, just butter the pan without parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, mixed with a little granulated sugar, use a rolling pin to roll out the cookie dough. If your cookie dough is very firm from being in the fridge several hours to overnight, you'll need roll the dough to the diameter or length of the pan. If your dough is a little soft, you'll will likely only need to roll it out half of the size of the pan and then press out the dough to the edges of the pan using your fingers or small rolling pin.TIP: Whenever I roll out cookie dough, I flour and sugar the work surface and rolling pin. The flour and granulated sugar combination keeps the dough from drying out, adds a little friction to the work surface keeping the dough from sticking, and adds a little caramelization, crunch, and sweetness to the cookie surface.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool completely in pan.
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whip cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and whip again until well combined. Fold in whipped topping until combined. Store the filling covered in the fridge until ready to assemble the pizza.TIP: Folding instead of stirring whipped topping prevents it from deflating. To fold, cut a spatula through the center of the cream mixture and fold it over. Make a figure 8 with spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the center again and fold over. Continue the same steps until the whipped topping is
Strawberry Kiwi Glaze:
- Slice the strawberries and kiwi (skin removed). Slices instead of chunks are pretty sitting on top of the pizza in the glaze. Once sliced, place the fruit in a bowl and set aside.TIP: I find using a potato peeler to remove the kiwi skins easy and less wasteful.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, salt, cornstarch, and gelatin. Whisk in water (or strawberry juice).
- Heat saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk frequently until the mixture thickens taking about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in almond extract. Stir in strawberries and kiwi and set aside at room temperature to cool.TIPS: As the mixture heats and begins to boil, the white cornstarch will blend in with the gelatin color and become clear. Then, the mixture will thicken after a couple of more minutes. Adding the fruit while the gelatin mixture is warm helps to sweeten the fruit and soften the kiwis. The fruit also aids in cooling down the gelatin.
Pizza Assembly:
- IF transferring the sugar cookie crust to another dish with higher sides to hold the toppings, carefully flip the cookie out of the pan and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cookie. Place the cookie in the new pan with taller sides.TIP: Remember that if your baking pan (cookie sheet, pizza pan, or casserole dish) has high enough sides to hold several inches of toppings, you do NOT need to transfer the cookie to another dish.
- Spread the cream filling evenly over the cookie top. If you have tall edges, smooth the cream to the edge of the dish to create a barrier, so the strawberry glaze will not ooze down along the cookie edges. Spoon the strawberry kiwi glaze over the cream filling ensuring the strawberries and kiwi are dispersed. Since the glaze is runny at this point, focus on fruit placement letting the glaze simply flow where it wants. It will set up in the fridge when it cools.
- It's best to allow the pizza at least 2 hours to chill and set up in the fridge before slicing and serving. Once set, cut slices like a pizza or pie and serve.TIP: You can make and assemble the pizza the day before you want to eat it.
Video
Notes
Storage:
Cut only the slices you want to eat, cover, and store the remaining pizza in the fridge for up to a week.
Make-Ahead Option:
Make the cookie dough and cream on day 1. On day 2, bake the cookie, make the fruit glaze, and assemble the pizza. Cut, serve, and enjoy the dessert on day 3.
NO Time? Much Easier Option:
Use store-bought cookie dough in place of making your own. Use this recipe's cream filling since it's easy. Instead of making the strawberry glaze, simply slice your favorite fruit and layer it on top of the cream layer. Then, you can eat it immediately without any glaze to set up in the fridge. EASY! DONE and MUCH less work!