Image via Unsplash By Lulia using Unsplash License
It’s no secret that Americans love pizza. The American pizza market generated an estimated revenue of $47 billion in 2019, which is second only to Western Europe. While the most popular pizza pies feature pepperoni, there’s something undeniably intriguing about changing things up with this staple and trying something new.
The next time you’re ordering a pizza for dinner, consider going all out with this favorite and pairing it with a creative dessert pizza that ties the meal together. Here are several easy options for making your own innovative dessert pizzas to delight the family at home.
Cold Fruit Dessert Pizza
Image via Flickr by Berries.com Licensed CC BY 2.0
If you’re looking for something lighter and less rich than traditional desserts, consider creating a fruit pizza. You can begin this pizza with a sugar cookie crust using premade sugar cookie dough or your own preferred recipe. Let the cookie crust cool completely before moving on to the next steps.
Top your cookie crust with cream cheese for a healthier alternative to frosting. You can use traditional cream cheese or try a flavored variety such as strawberry. Layer an assortment of fresh-cut fruit on top, such as blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, and mandarin oranges.
Brownie Pizza
Brownie pizza is an easy option when you want to mold your favorite dessert into the shape of a pizza. Begin by pouring your preferred brownie recipe into a greased pizza pan. This will give it the familiar shape you’re looking for. In most cases, you can bake your brownie pizza “crust” for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. To give your brownie a pizzalike look, add dessert toppings such as fudge, frosting, chocolate candies, pecans, and toasted coconut.
Cookie Pizza
Similar to the brownie pizza, you can make a cookie pizza using nearly any beloved cookie recipe. Simply line a pizza pan with wax paper and flatten your cookie dough on top. For most cookies, you can bake this dessert crust for 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the cookie cool, then decorate with frosting, ganache, chocolate drizzle, and other delights as desired.
Fruit Crisp Pizza
Turn your favorite fruit crisp into a fun pizza with this smart strategy. Start with either a premade pie crust or your own favorite pie crust recipe. Roll out the crust onto a pizza pan. Fold the edges over so they fit the pan and sit slightly higher than the rest of the crust.
Top the pizza with your favorite fruit and a fruit crisp topping. Classic fruit crisp is made with flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, and butter. You can turn nearly any fruit crisp recipe into a pizza simply by layering your crisp over the pie crust dough. This recipe typically bakes for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. When the pizza is done, you can top it with ice cream and serve.
Caramel Apple Pizza
You can make a caramel apple pizza that’s as good as any apple orchard treat with just a few smart steps. Begin with a sugar cookie crust. Mix up your favorite sugar cookie recipe, and refrigerate it for about an hour. When the dough is firm, take it out of the fridge and roll it out onto a pizza pan that’s either greased or covered with wax paper. Bake your sugar cookie crust for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
When the cookie crust is finished, top it with cream cheese frosting, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, finely chopped granny smith apples, and a drizzle of caramel.
Cinnamon Roll Pizza
Cinnamon roll pizza begins with a traditional pizza crust, which makes this the most truly pizzalike option on the list. Begin by spreading premade or homemade pizza dough on a pizza pan. Top it with a cinnamon sugar topping that has equal parts room-temperature butter, oatmeal, and brown sugar with 2 or 3 teaspoons of cinnamon mixed in. Spread this topping over the pizza dough.
Bake the cinnamon pizza for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow it to cool for five minutes before drizzling on a cinnamon roll glaze. Any traditional glaze will work. An easy go-to is 2 cups of confectioners sugar, 1/3 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Pudding Pizza
If you’re looking for a creative way to combine several of your favorite sweet treats, a pudding pizza is a great way to go. This is an easy option to make, and it comes together in minutes once the crust is done.
For this pizza, start with a cookie crust, such as a traditional sugar cookie crust. You might want to experiment with a peanut butter cookie crust to complement chocolate pudding. You can also try a chocolate cookie crust to go with a vanilla pudding topping.
Once the crust has cooled, layer cream cheese, pudding, and whipped cream on top in that order. You can also add fruit, chocolate chips, or a chocolate drizzle to the top for more flavor and interest.
Bananas Foster Pizza
For a really impressive dessert pizza, try this creative approach to the classic bananas foster dessert. Start with any pizza crust. A premade option is an easy choice for this dessert. Bake your crust first before you add the toppings.
Use a mixture of cream cheese and cinnamon for your “sauce.” Top this with a traditional bananas foster topping featuring butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, dark rum, bananas, and pecans. Add a generous amount of the banana topping, and serve up a slice of decadence that’s sure to impress your guests.
Pizza is a great go-to no matter how you choose to enjoy it. These dessert pizzas will help you finish your meal off right, but you still need a main course. Pequod’s Pizza has you covered when it comes to dinner pizzas. Get all your favorite toppings on our famous burnt-cheese crust. We even ship our pizzas nationwide, so you can try a taste of Pequod’s no matter where you live.