This Fourth of July fruit pizza is a festive dessert to bring to your patriotic celebration! It's light, fresh, and seriously easy to throw together with a sugar cookie base and a sweet cream cheese spread.
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Why You'll Love 4th of July Fruit Pizza
In my opinion, one of the best picnic desserts is a fruit pizza! It's light, fresh, and delicious on a hot day. In fact, I generally prefer fruity sweets, and this treat is like a fruit tart without all the hassle!
I decided to add a patriotic twist to this particular cookie fruit pizza by shaping and decorating it to make it look like an American flag. With all the patriotic holidays that come up throughout the summer, this will be your new go-to dessert.
And the hardest part is placing the berries one by one for the design. Seriously, the kids even help make this sometimes — it's that easy! Here are a few more reasons to love this fruit dessert:
- Light and refreshing
- Not too sweet
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Easy to make ahead
- Versatile recipe
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Sugar cookie mix- This is the powdered mix that comes in a pouch — find it in the baking aisle near the cake and brownie mix. I like to use Betty Crocker.
- Egg- To make the dough!
- Salted butter- One stick for the cookie dough and another for the spread. I especially like to use salted butter in cream cheese frosting for fruit pizza to help balance the sweetness.
- Flour- This is listed on the package for cutout cookies. It will make the crust a bit sturdier. Regular AP flour is perfect.
- Cream cheese- Delicously tangy and a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the crust and the fresh berries.
- Confectioner's sugar- AKA powdered sugar. Sweetens up the cream cheese and helps make it a little fluffy.
- Vanilla extract- Adds flavor and warmth to the frosting. For a twist, swap it with some lemon extract.
- Strawberries- To make the stripes! Choose fully ripe berries that are a similar color and size so everything stays (mostly) even.
- Blueberries- For the "stars" portion of the flag. Pick through and remove any stems before rinsing.
How To Make Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizza
Step 1- Mix and bake the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or whatever is listed on the cookie dough package) and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Mix the dough ingredients per the cookie mix package until well combined. Spread the dough out onto the lined baking sheet, gently pressing it into a rectangle shape.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden. Remove and cool completely while you work on the toppings.
Step 2- Make the cream cheese spread and add toppings.
In a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), combine the softened cream cheese and remaining stick of butter with the confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Beat the mixture until smooth and creamy.
Once the cookie crust is completely cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly on top, all the way to the edges. Make a rectangle in the top left corner with rows of blueberries, then use the halved strawberries to make rows for the "stripes" of the flag. Enjoy right away or chill until serving!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but I tested this with the refrigerated mix, and it came out in a strange shape. If you do go this route, shape the dough onto the sheet pan and chill for an hour before baking.
When making a flag design, I find it easiest to start with the blueberries. I make the outside of that rectangle in the upper left corner, then fill it in with blueberries. After that, I use the strawberries to make stripes.
You bet! Blackberries (halved) can be used for the blue section, and raspberries work for the stripes. Or you can make any design you'd like with whatever fresh fruits you like!
You can make the cookie crust the day before. Cool it completely and then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and store overnight on your counter. I'd encourage you to make the frosting and decorate with fruit within a few hours of serving so that everything is as fresh as possible.
Tips For Making Fruit Cookie Pizza
- Soften the cream cheese and butter before getting started. It's a key step to getting a smooth dough and frosting.
- Instead of battling it out with a rolling pin, I used my hands to spread the dough out to fit perfectly into the sheet pan. Try to make sure it's even and level - a cup or bowl with a flat bottom helps with this..
- Wash the fruit the day before if you can- or dry it super well- you want to avoid putting wet fruit on the frosting and making a soggy fruit pizza.
- Let the dough cool completely. Otherwise, the cream cheese frosting will melt, and you'll have a goopy mess on your hands!
- If your strawberries are all different sizes, you may need to trim the sides slightly or even quarter them. Whatever gets you the most even-looking stripes!
- Multi-tasking is your friend. I like to slice the strawberries while the crust is in the oven, then mix up the frosting while it cools.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Mix and bake the cookie crust. Store at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months. You can also wash the berries and slice the strawberries a day in advance.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftovers will keep covered for a few days in the refrigerator. It's best to store fruit pizza in a single layer, as cutting and stacking could affect the texture.
What To Serve With American Flag Fruit Pizza
This dessert is the perfect ending to any barbecue or cookout, but you could easily serve it for breakfast or brunch too! Balance the sweetness with plenty of savory options. Here are a few ideas to round out your meal:
- Chicken Caesar Wrap Pinwheels
- Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ
- Garbage Plate Recipe
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Firecracker Vanilla Cupcakes
Other Delicious Fruit Dessert Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Fourth of July Fruit Pizza
Equipment
- 15.5x10.5 inch pan
- OR Hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 package dry sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks- softened and divided (one is as per the cookie package directions)
- 1 large egg (as per cookie package directions)
- 3 Tablespoons flour (as per cookie package directions)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ pounds strawberries, stems removed and halved
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the as per package directions (mine was 350 degrees) and line a 15.5" x 10.5" sheet pan with parchment. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix cookie mix, 1 stick butter, egg and flour until well combined.
- Spread evenly over sheet pan to form crust.
- Bake 11-13 minutes until the edges are starting to turn golden.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- While the crust cools mix remaining stick butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Spread evenly over cooled crust.
- Use the blueberries to form a rectangle in the upper left corner of the the pizza.
- Line up rows of strawberries on the remaining pizza to form the stripes. Refrigerate until serving.
Video
Notes
- Soften the cream cheese and butter before getting started. It's a key step to getting a smooth dough and frosting.
- Instead of battling it out with a rolling pin, I used my hands to spread the dough out to fit perfectly into the sheet pan. Try to make sure it's even and level - a cup or bowl with a flat bottom helps with this..
- Wash the fruit the day before if you can- or dry it super well- you want to avoid putting wet fruit on the frosting and making a soggy fruit pizza.
- Let the dough cool completely. Otherwise, the cream cheese frosting will melt, and you'll have a goopy mess on your hands!
- If your strawberries are all different sizes, you may need to trim the sides slightly or even quarter them. Whatever gets you the most even-looking stripes!
- Multi-tasking is your friend. I like to slice the strawberries while the crust is in the oven, then mix up the frosting while it cools.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Mix and bake the cookie crust. Store at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months. You can also wash the berries and slice the strawberries a day in advance.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftovers will keep covered for a few days in the refrigerator. It's best to store fruit pizza in a single layer, as cutting and stacking could affect the texture.
Gabriella says
Jessy Freimann says