Mini Fruit (Pizza) Cookies
If you’ve been following along for awhile now, you probably already know that Emmett and I have been together since we were teenagers. Even during our high school years… each summer, he’d ask me to make fruit pizzas. It’s kind of our festive summer / 4th of July tradition! Here’s the thing though- although delicious… fruit pizza isn’t very convenient or practical. It doesn’t travel well because it’s the size of a pizza, it’s hard to bake a giant sugar cookie crust evenly, and it’s messy to eat because the slices crumble when you pick it up. I switched things up a few years ago and started making “mini fruit pizzas”, and Emmett totally called me out. He said, “sooooo it’s basically a cookie, then?” Ummmm, yeah- I guess? Regardless- they’re delicious, quick & easy to make, travel to barbecues easily, are fun to decorate, and are basically the perfect festive summer treat. Click through for my recipe! Mini fruit pizza cookies > giant fruit pizza. Who is with me?!
INGREDIENTS
Sugar Cookies:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Fruit for Decorating:
- strawberries
- blueberries
- grapes, halved
I’m not going to lie… we’ve been so preoccupied with the kitchen renovation, I didn’t have time (or an oven) to bake cookies from scratch, so I bought these sugar cookies from a local bakery, mixed up my own frosting, and added the fruit. You can definitely cheat and buy cookies (no shame it that game). It took 5 minutes to put these together and they taste amazing! Just a tip for you busy people out there, but if you do want to bake the cookies- here is my method…
Mix the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, slice into cookies, bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool completely before you begin icing them!
Using an electric or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy and silky. Pipe the frosting onto the cookie and spread it around evenly with a spatula.
Now for the fun part! Decorate the cookies with the fruit toppings. Emmett and I prefer strawberries, blueberries, and grapes, but feel free to add whatever you like! In the past, we’ve also used mango and kiwi.
I like to drive myself crazy and make strawberry flowers… because why not?! Decorating these cookies would also be a fun family activity if you have little ones who enjoy helping in the kitchen. I’ve made these with my nieces & nephews in the past and they had a blast.
Are there any other fruit pizza fans out there? Do you prefer one giant pizza or are you into my mini cookie idea? I’m tellin’ ya… it’s SO much easier! I figured this recipe would be a fun reminder for the 4th of July this week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!