Fruit Pizza

I am a sucker for fruit pizza in the summer. I have only ever made single sugar cookies with frosting and fruit on top because I have been intimidated by the large cookie crust, worrying about it falling apart.  But last night I challenged my limitations ;) and made a full size fruit pizza for our guests.  I got the recipe from the cook book Sherie gave us for Christmas last year "Savoring the Seasons: Our Best Bites."  It is a fantastic recipe.  I love the almond extract and orange rind in the cookie crust and the orange extract in the frosting was a good idea too.

CRUST
1 C real butter (no substitutions!), room temperature
1 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp almond extract
3 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of 1 orange

CREAMY TOPPING
1 8 oz package cream cheese, light is fine
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/4 C brown sugar
1 C heavy cream
1/2 C powdered sugar

FRUIT TOPPING
4 C fruit of your choice, washed, cut into small pieces (if necessary), and patted dry
(I used pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and kiwi)
1/4 C dark or semisweet chocolate chips, or more if you want!

1. For the crust: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

2. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups, level off with a knife, and add to a separate bowl.  Add baking powder and salt to the bowl and whisk together.

3.  Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until completely combined.  Mix in orange zest.

4. Spray a round 14 inch or larger pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray and, using your hands and a rolling pin, spread the dough out to the edges of the pan.  I used my thumbs to create a decorative fluting around the edges of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.  I left about 3/4 inch space around the edge of the pan in case the crust grew larger during cooking.  I think it grew a little but I had extra space left.

5.  When ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake crust for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and cooked in the center.  Allow to cool completely.

6. For the creamy topping: When crust is almost cool, use and electric mixer to combine cream cheese, orange extract, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Whip cream and powdered sugar in a separate bowl until medium peaks form.  Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture and combine well.  Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.

7. For the fruit topping: Arrange berries and other fruit as desired over the creamy topping.  Place chocolate chips in a small, heavy-duty zip top bag and heat in the microwave 20 seconds at a time, mashing the bag around until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle chocolate over the berries.  Refrigerate pizza until ready to serve and then cut in wedges or squares.