With a name like “fruit pizza,” you’d think you were making a healthy dessert that might actually have some nourishment for your kids.
But…Every recipe I’ve ever seen for fruit pizza uses sugar cookie dough as the base. Usually they call for pre-packaged, trans-fat and white-sugar laden monstrosities, and super sugary frosting too. That bums me out.
Since Kitchen Stewardship is all about real, nourishing foods and striking a balance/not going crazy, fruit desserts should be great option…but storebought cookie dough is not. Even a homemade sugar cookie dough recipe would have a bunch of white flour and white sugar that I don’t want for my family. I decided there had to be a way to make a healthy fruit pizza that still tastes good.
I managed to use whole grains, only 1/4 cup sweetener, probiotics in the frosting, and healthy fats. Score!
Here is the mouthwatering result:
Get this recipe with all the classic Kitchen Stewardship FAQs in the eBook Smart Sweets along with 29 other delicious desserts that won’t make you feel guilty! Click HERE for a table of contents.
Seeking a Whole Grain Hearty Fruit Pizza Crust
I thought and thought about what else could be used for a “crust” instead of a sugar cookie. Vegetable pizzas rely on crescent rolls or bread dough, but I needed something decidedly dessert. I decided to try going part whole wheat on a shortbread recipe, and then I was able to go all the way with the right flour.
If you believe that real butter is not only better than margarine (please at least buy into that part! Margarine is fake food!) but is actually good for you, especially if it’s grass-fed, this dessert hinges on being a health food.
It’s also very low in sugar, less than most muffins you’d eat for breakfast, and you can avoid white sugar altogether in favor of alternative sweeteners.
Katie’s Healthy Fruit Pizza
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This healthy fruit pizza is the perfect activity for kids to help – put them in charge of the fruit and smile as they enjoy a whole grain, probiotic, power packed healthy dessert.
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 c. (2 sticks) softened butter
- 1/4 c. sugar OR sucanat
- 2 c. white whole wheat flour
- Frosting:
- about 3/4 c. yogurt cheese, softened
- 1–4 Tbs. real maple syrup (or honey or powdered sugar in a pinch)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (optional)
- Toppings: a variety of fresh fruit such as:
- bananas
- kiwi
- strawberries
- peaches
- pineapple
- berries of any kind
- whatever is in season or on sale
Instructions
- To make the crust:
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Starting with 1 3/4 cup, stir in flour and finish by hand. It might be very crumbly and you’ll think it will never come together, but persevere. Add the last 1/4 cup of flour as you can, and you can also go shy on the flour if it seems like it will get too crumbly to hold together. Try using your hands to squeeze pieces together.
- Press a handful at a time into a buttered pan: small cookie sheet, 9×13 glass dish or Pampered Chef style baking stone.
- Aim for a thickness of about 1/4?, no more. If using a stone, you can roll flat gently with a rolling pin.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. As soon as you see brown on the edges, it’s done!
- Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting:
- Mix ingredients together, adding sweetener and tasting until you enjoy it.
- For a real frosting consistency, whip it with an electric mixer for a minute.
- Spread the frosting on the crust once completely cooled, and arrange fresh fruit on top.
- Cut into 2×2″ squares to serve.
Notes
Can I use regular whole wheat flour? Not really. “Red” whole wheat, which is the regular stuff, is way too crumbly. If you only have that kind of whole wheat, use half white AP flour.
You can find white whole wheat under the King Arthur brand in many grocery stores, or grind hard white wheat yourself.
If you forget to set out the butter to soften, use a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper to get it just soft enough for the mixer to cream.
Find the healthy probiotic frosting to use anywhere right here!
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Voila! A dessert you can be proud to serve for any party or picnic, not only because of its gorgeous presentation, but also because it’s packed with good food (and just a smidge of sugar). Not that you have to share your creation…you might just eat it all yourselves like our family did!
This is serious melt-in-your-mouth stuff. (Or you could set it on top of your van and forget it’s there like I did with my second one, feeding the road instead of the visiting family members…so, so sad.)
You can even let your kids make this delicious treat by themselves! Teach them to make real food with the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, an online cooking class for kids.
Many people are using this healthy fruit pizza recipe as a snack. If that’s you, you might be interested in my Healthy Snacks to Go eBook, over 45 kid-friendly recipes to get you on your way with real food, fast.
Check out my other great summer recipes:
- Sausage Zucchini Bake
- Potato Salad with the Kids
- Homemade Guacamole
- California Chicken Wraps
- Walnut-oat Pie Crust
Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Laura says
I made this with my kids for Independence Day and we loved it! The cookie crust is plenty sweet with the small amount of sweetener. It’s the first time I’ve used white whole wheat flour. Actually that’s not what the package said – I bought it as “heirloom whole wheat pastry flour” but I figured pastry flour is probably low-protein content so I hoped it would do the trick, and it did. Even my white-flour-and-sugary-treat loving husband kept coming back for more of the cookie crust scraps.
★★★★★
Trisha says
This sounds great. I’ve been wanting to try a fruit pizza, but can’t get past the cookie crust issue. Thank you for a wonderful sounding alternative.
marsha says
Been a Stewardship reader since I graciously
fell into it a few years ago (your little guy had
just been born 🙂
Simply love you Katie and crew, for all you do
and how you ‘be’ and share and expand in the world!
I actually get in conversations when I overhear
women with children talking about better food
choices, AND ALWAYS plug them in to Kitchen
Stewardship, which they express happiness to
discover. A round of Blessings, ‘clink’ !
Thomas says
What would you say the calories this recipe would give you are?
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Thomas,
Try plugging it into here: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php – you can decide how many pieces you’ll cut into and such. 🙂 Katie
Rachel says
Hooray for this recipe!! Fruit pizza was one of my favorite childhood desserts and I wanted it make it (sans Jiffy cake-mix) for my husband’s birthday tonight. I’m so excited to try this; thanks for posting!
Molly says
This is delicious! I’m a regular reader here but found this recipe via Google when I searched for a “healthier fruit pizza.” I was pleased to find a site I knew that doesn’t define healthier as low-fat and preservative filled dairy products. It was easy to throw together and tastes great! I had planned to take it to a pot-luck, but I doubt this will make it out of the house. Thanks for all the great tips and recipes!
Terri says
Love this idea but have gotten ridden of white sugar as well as white flour, unless absolutely needed. For the frosting, I’ve used honey or real maple syrup as the sweetener and both are great. I also mostly bake with organic sugar crystals that aren’t bleached that work pretty well so will have to try them here. Another idea might be a combination of oat flour and the white wheat flour to give the crust some depth. It would be great to hear if your substitutions have worked or not! Thanks for sharing!
Amy Phoenix says
Thank you for this lovely, healthy recipe! When I asked my husband for ideas on dinner tonight he said how about a tray of fruit. 🙂 I said, how about a fruit pizza? Then I looked around and decided I needed a recipe for a *healthy* fruit pizza. Wa-la, your recipe came up in the search! Thanks again, I’ll be back. 🙂
Katie says
Welcome, and thanks, Amy! 🙂 Katie
Chris says
You know you have some great recipes on here but you should really correct your margarine is plastic comment, it’s utter nonsense. I’m assuming you’re using the “it’s only one molecule away from plastic” as your basis for this. Even if that were true it means absolutely nothing. Would you drink 100% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)…. its only 1 molecule away from water so it must be safe… A single molecule makes a BIG difference.
Katie says
Chris,
Thanks for the note. I’m cool with removing the “plastic” part – I did update the post, in fact. But margarine is still fake food, and I won’t eat it! 😉 Katie
Meg says
is there somewhere i can find the nutritional info on this recipe
Katie says
Meg,
You’d have to figure it out yourself with amounts, I guess. I don’t really worry about calorie counts and such! 🙂 Katie
SarahSpi says
I made this just last night for my 5-year-olds class snack today. It is fabulous! I did use half white sugar, and half sucanat in the crust and went a little heavier on it, but not by much. My daughter LOVED her “sneak peek” when she taste-tested it, and I’m currently eating some for breakfast! Thank you SO MUCH for this wholesome recipe! I was beginning to get discouraged looking at all of them with sugar cookie dough… I want something more wholesome for my family and the children at school, that still tastes sinful. This does it!
Katie says
Sarah,
So glad it was a success for you! I forget about it when I’m thinking about snacks for kids – forehead smacker! Thanks for reminding me; it’s the perfect time of year to start making it again with the fruit coming into season. 🙂 Katie
SarahSpi says
It was apparently more than a success! Here it is, 2 days later, and I’m making another double-batch pizza as requested by my daughter’s teacher! The children in her class were all begging for seconds yesterday. Who am I to say no?!
Sarah says
I made this exactly as you said and the dough turned out perfect. I also used xylitol for the sugar- it is equal parts so it is easy and cooks fine and taste just like sugar and it is actually good for you.
I also used my vita mix dry pitcher to grind up xylitol for the powdered sugar part. A healthy treat!
Kendra says
I am going to make this this next week, but instead of sugar try vanilla agave! Glad I found it! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Robin says
Oh Katie – I never even thought about the age of the flour!! That is definitely possible. Would it take on a weird flavor if old? Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I bought it a couple of years ago. Maybe I’ll try it again but a small version of it with half and half flour if I buy some new.
It was SOOO pretty too! The topping was great, but I did add a little more powdered sugar…it was worth the extra points for me. 🙂
Thanks for your response…I might become a convert after all!
Katie says
Robin,
The way you described the reaction to the crust, it did almost sound like rancid flour. ?? Whole grain flour should be kept in the freezer or fridge, because the wheat germ has oil in it that can and does go rancid quickly. A few years is probably pushing it! When you buy new, I would recommend smelling both of them side by side, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what’s going on with your old stuff. If by half and half you meant half the old flour, you might reconsider if it is rancid! Could do half and half with white flour though. That has a long shelf life, because most of the good nutrients that would degrade are stripped away. 😉 Katie
Sarah @ Mum In Bloom says
Wait a sec! I didn’t know that it had to be kept in the fridge. My whole wheat flour.. whole wheat pastry flour too? My fridge is stuffed with 5lbs of wheat germ now that I ordered from Azure. I gotta get me another fridge I think.. then again the garage is as cold as a freezer these days with the low temps ;o)
Katie says
Sarah,
Anything whole wheat has wheat germ in it, so the oils make it unstable. I have a bunch of flour on a shelf in my garage! 😉 Katie
Robin says
I made this last night for our work party…I’m sorry but the crust was terrible. Everyone took one bite and threw it out. It looked beautiful but had a bad aftertasted to it. I used the KA white whole wheat flour and even added a little more sugar because it wasn’t sweet enough.
Darn it! I’ll have to go back to the cookie dough and just have one little bite in the future. Sorry Katie!
Katie says
Robin,
Huh. I’m bummed, but thanks for your honesty. There’s only a few ingredients, so I guess if you used the right flour (it wasn’t old, was it?) and your butter had nothing wrong with it, then you’re right in not using the recipe again! Sorry ’bout that – we still like it around here though. ??
Katie
Lenetta @ Nettacow says
I made one of these this week when my cousin called to say she was dropping by with her two little ones for a visit later that day. We thought it was awesome! (And I’m wishing for more yogurt cheese right now…)
You show a picture of the crust being pricked wiht a fork – is that before or after baking? :>)
I used my baking stone, but then realized that I needed to get the crust off so it could cool faster. It kind of fell apart as I was transferring it, so I was wishing I’d have used parchment paper underneath – I just buttered it well, which worked – it didn’t stick! I was a bit concerned that I’d underbaked it (I used half fresh ground, half white flour, so hard to tell how done it is) but the leftovers in the refrigerator held up very well.
Thanks, Katie – it was delicious!
.-= Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Daybook for May 19, 2010 =-.
Katie says
Lenetta,
Glad you liked it! I did prick the crust before baking here, but I don’t really bother with that anymore and it still turns out great! 🙂 Katie
SnoWhite says
delicious! I love using KA White Whole Wheat Flour — it has replaced all-purpose at my house 🙂
.-= SnoWhite´s last blog ..And … the winners are…. =-.
Jaz @ Odd Mom says
This looks absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to try it — thank you!
.-= Jaz @ Odd Mom´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
Michele says
I use lowerfat cream cheese with powdered sugar and the I add a couple of strawberries and blend it in my food processor for the spread. It comes out great. Lemon or other berries also work in place of the strawberries for flavor and color..
Matt says
This is such a great recipe. I’m normally not a fan of “unique” pizzas, but this looks too good to pass up. Thanks for sharing it on FaveDiets.
Melissa says
Thanks for the recipe!!
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..Kitchen Organization – Kid Style =-.
Amy @ Finer Things says
That dessert makes me wish for summer!
.-= Amy @ Finer Things´s last blog ..Finer Things Friday: Dessert =-.
Martha says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love fruit pizza, but haven’t made it in ages because of all the garbage. Thanks for cleaning it up. 🙂
Erika says
Wow, thanks for the recipe! I’ve been looking for something like this to make for my mother, I brought some home from cooking class and lost the recipe. She fell in love with it though, haha.
Thanks a lot. 🙂
Rachel R. says
Thanks; this looks yummy!
BTW, I always use whole wheat flour when making sugar cookies (for cookie plates at Christmas time). I’ve not found a good substitute for granulated sugar, though, in any cookie recipe – other sweeteners all give the cookies a decidedly different texture.
rachel-asouthernfairytale says
Yummy!!! I love fruit pizza and this sounds like a delightful alternative!!!
Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet says
I’ve always loved fruit pizza, yummy! It would be summer easy to use a whole cane sugar like rapadura in a recipe like this, by the way! Thanks so much for being part of the carnival this week!
angie says
love fruit pizza
Ann Kroeker says
I love those fruit pizzas, but have never made it for the same reason you mention. It seems so unhealthy. It never occurred to me to adapt the crust and improve the healthiness! Thanks for encouraging us to enjoy this altered recipe and share it with friends!
Jerri says
Great recipe. Looks healthy & delicious!
Lisa Shatzer says
Thanks for showing us a healthier way of making this. I like to use whole wheat flour as much as I can.
Sharinskishe says
This looks really good. I haven’t had a fruit pizza for a long time. Thanks for making some really easy instructions and healthier options for us.
Have a great weekend.
Shari
[email protected] says
WOW!!! a GREAT!!! healthy recipe. Thanks, Geri
bj says
This, my dear, is AWESOME!
Cole says
That looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing the alternative “crust”; what a great idea!
gail says
hi! i found you thru tasty tues and i love your healthy substitution. what a great idea! and i can see that i need to look around your blog some more. we are trying to eat less sugar and white stuff.
Katie says
Awesome! Welcome aboard! 🙂
astrid says
Yummy! I’m going to have to try your recipe! It does seem funny to have all that fruit…only to eat with tons of sugar!
[email protected] says
Lots of good healthy info, as always. The fruit pizza looks great. Thanks.
Brenda says
I’m working really hard at eating healthy now too, this would be a great summer dessert for me right now.
Jane says
This looks and sounds fabulous! I am always looking for healthy recipes. Thanks for sharing this.
Jane
[email protected] says
a dessert thats healthy, what a cencept!! 😉 thnx for a great recipe!!
Angela says
That looks delicious. I am trying so hard to incorporate more whole foods in our diet. I bought a grain mill but I haven’t ventured out more than making our own bread. I love your site, I’m going to have to spend some more time here 🙂
Katie says
Thanks for the compliment! So glad to have you visit; I hope you like what you see. I don’t have a grain mill yet…maybe someday… 🙂
Ave @ Made in Canarias says
That looks yummy!!
Carmen says
This recipe is incredible! Just added 1/4 tsp vanilla to the dough and used 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar for the frosting. Topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and peaches.