This sugar cookie berry pizza recipe is a fresh and fruity dessert pizza that's incredibly easy to make! You'll love the soft & chewy sugar cookie crust topped with tangy cream cheese frosting-and unlike other recipes for thin fruit pizza with sugar cookie dough, this thick version won't get soggy!
Why I Love This Sugar Cookie Berry Pizza
- It won't get soggy! It's always a bummer when your fruit pizza gets soggy, but this crecipe won't let you down. I skip the mandarin oranges and kiwi (which release a lot of juices), and only use fresh berries.
- It's perfectly sliceable! When you slice this fruity sugar cookie cake, it won't crumble or break into pieces. The soft, thick, chewy crust cuts cleanly into handheld slices because it's based on my super popular sugar cookie cake recipe.
- It's a light, fresh summertime dessert! Okay, it's not exactly healthy, but it is the most delicious way to get some fresh summer fruit in your day.
- It's oh-so-easy! It doesn't take much more effort than a Pillsbury sugar cookie fruit pizza, but it tastes way better than the thin, crumbly crust you get with pre-made dough.
Ingredient Notes:
- Sugar cookie dough: This is my base recipe for my favorite sugar cookie cake. It is a simple mixture of unsalted butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour. If you don't like the taste of almond extract, you can omit, but it does make it really good!
- Cream cheese frosting: this is a simple (but delcious!) cream cheese frosting made with unsalted butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
- Berries: I used a combination of sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Be sure to use fresh fruit that has been washed and dried rather than frozen fruit (which will thaw and cause the berry pizza to become soggy and messy).
How to Make Sugar Cookie Berry Pizza:
Step 1: Make the Dough
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Follow the instructions below to mix up the sugar cookie dough, stirring just until all the flour disappears. You don't want to over-mix, because this can make your sugar cookie crust tough!
Tip: If you forget to soften your butter ahead of time, you can pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Step 2: Bake the sugar cookie crust
Drop the sugar cookie dough into your prepared light-colored metal, round 10-12" pan then use clean hands to press it into the bottom, making sure it's smooth and evenly distributed.
Bake the crust for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. A 10" pan will take a few extra minutes since it will be thicker.
Tip: If the dough is sticky, you can place a piece of parchment on top of the dough while you're pressing it into the pan.
Step 3: Make the Frosting
While you let the sugar cookie crust cool, whip up the cream cheese frosting ingredients into a smooth, creamy spread for your sugar cookie fruit pizza.
Step 4: Frost the Crust
Once the crust has cooled completely, use an offset spatula to frost the sugar cookie. Leave a margin along the edges just like a real pizza.
Step 5: Decorate
The final step of this sugar cookie pizza recipe is to layer on the fresh berries! This is a great step to have kids help with. You can create a fun symmetrical design, scatter the berries, or keep reading for some other decoration ideas.
Tips for Success
- Don't overbake: Fruit pizza recipes need a crust that's thick and chewy, not crumbly. To achieve this, it's important not to over-bake the sugar cookie base. The center will be slightly under-done when you take it out of the oven, and that's okay! It will continue to bake on the hot pan, which is why it's important not to remove it from the pan until it's fully cooled.
- Dry fruit: Make sure your fruit is dry. Wash it well, then either let it sit in a colander until it's completely dry or pat it dry with paper towels.
- Don't skip the parchment paper on the pan! This will keep the crust from sticking and help you get those perfect, clean sugar cookie fruit pizza slices.
Variation & Decoration Ideas
- Switch up the frosting! Use my sugar cookie buttercream frosting or easy sugar cookie glaze instead of cream cheese frosting, or make sugar cookie fruit pizza with Cool Whip. You can also stick with a single fruit (i.e., a sugar cookie strawberry pizza or blueberry pizza) to make it easier to whip up.
- Switch up the shape! Make a sheet pan fruit pizza or square fruit pizza instead. If making into bars, use my sugar cookie fruit pizza bars recipe for a 9x13 pan (or double it for a sheet pan!).
- Switch up the crust! You could make fruit pizza without sugar cookie crust by using a brownie base instead. Other fruit pizza crust alternatives include blondies or white chocolate chip cookie dough.
- Make for the holidays! Make a patriotic sugar cookie fruit pizza (4th of July) by baking frosted sugar cookie bars and arranging the berries to look like an American flag sugar cookie fruit pizza. You can also use your favorite fruits to make a rainbow, add a white or dark chocolate drizzle, sprinkle on some nuts for crunch-a pizza sugar cookie with fruit is totally customizable!
Frequently Asked Questions:
You do have to store this in the refrigerator to keep the berries fresh!
If you don't plan on serving the sugar cookie pizza right away, you can store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or freeze it for 1 to 2 months, then let it thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Skipping the canned mandarin oranges and kiwi helps keep this fruit pizza from getting soggy. Also be sure to use berries that are at the peak of ripeness and dry them well before adding them to the pizza.
If you'd like to make individual mini fruit pizzas, I recommend making my Fluffy Sugar Cookies and topping them with cream cheese frosting and berries.
Pillsbury fruit pizza isn't nearly as good as this sugar cookie pizza from scratch, with its perfectly chewy, sliceable crust! It's also way better than Pillsbury pizza dough dessert recipes.
Absolutely! Just omit the other berries and use only strawberries for your fruit pizza. You can amp up the strawberry flavor by using a strawberry frosting, too.
Sugar Cookie Berry Pizza
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. If butter hasn't been softened you can place in it microwave for 10 seconds to *slightly* soften it.
- In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar on medium speed for 20-30 seconds; do not overbeat. While mixer is still on medium speed, add in 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- Once mixed, add in 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, adding the flour ½ cup at a time. Be sure to measure your flour properly using the spoon & level method, as adding too much can result in dry bars. Mix until all flour disappears, typically 20-30 seconds.
- Spray a round light-colored metal 10" pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper (having the grease underneath the paper will help the paper stay down).
- Drop the dough into 1 tablespoon sized chunks into the prepared pan. Use your hands or a spatula to press down the dough until it covers the pan and is smooth around the edges.Tip: If the dough is sticky, you can place another piece of parchment paper on top and continue pressing down.
- Bake cookie cake at 350°F degrees for 18-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned. The trick to a soft sugar cookie cake is to take it out right when you see the TINIEST amount of brown around the edges. The center may look underdone and this is okay; the cake will continue to bake in the hot pan when cooling.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting (you can put the pan in the fridge on a cooling rack to speed this up).
- In a large bowl, beat 1 cup unsalted butter (i.e. 2 sticks[/adjustable]) and 8 ounces cream cheese on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) for 1-2 minutes (until light and creamy).
- Keeping the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 ½ cups powdered sugar. Once incorporated, turn mixer to high speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting onto the crust, leaving a 1-inch margin on the ends. Arrange the fresh berries on top.
- If not eating same day, cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for 2-3 days. This sugar cookie cake is also amazing frozen for 1-2 months (any longer and it tends to dry out).
Notes from Melissa
- Storage: If not eating right away, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: I don't recommend freezing this after adding the berries. If you want to freeze, freeze the baked cookie, thaw, and then add frosting and berries when ready to serve.
- Baking Pan: If you don't have a round pan, you can bake this in a 9×13 pan using my sugar cookie fruit pizza bar recipe or even create a DIY cookie cake pan!
- Layering/Removal: If you don't plan to serve the fruit pizza in the pan (i.e., you want to put it on a platter), I highly recommend lining the bottom with parchment paper to guarantee it comes out clean. Be sure to spray the pan in addition to the parchment & only remove the cake when fully cooled to reduce chances of breaking.
- Almond Extract: This gives it an amazing sugar cookie flavor but if you don't like almond extract (or have an allergy) you can simply substitute it for more vanilla extract.
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