If you are looking for a quick and easy, yet super impressive dessert for The Fourth of July, or are just needing something gluten and dairy free and need it in a hurry, then you have come to the right place!
Ingredients:
- 1 box sugar cookie mix, plus any additional ingredients the boxed mix calls for (I used with King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free cookie mix, and it is off the charts!)
- 8 ounces dairy-free cream cheese, softened at room temperature (I used Kite Hill plant based cream cheese)
- 9 ounces frozen dairy-free whipped topping, thawed in the refrigerator (I used So Delicious Coco Whip dairy-free whipped topping)
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Berries or other fruit of your choice…I used strawberries, pitted cherries, raspberries and blueberries
Directions:
- Rinse and drain the berries you’ll use to decorate your fruit pizza well ahead of time. After rinsing, lay the berries out on a kitchen towel to allow all the water to drain.
- Next, make the cookie crust. Follow the directions on your boxed cookie mix to make the dough. Lay a piece of parchment paper over a large round pizza stone or pan, and spread the cookie dough batter evenly over the parchment covered pizza stone. Wet your hands and use them to spread it evenly. The parchment paper will keep the dough from sticking to the stone or pan, and will also allow you to move the cookie easily when you’re ready to serve it. Allow for just a bit of extra room around the edges as the cookie will expand as it bakes. Bake the cookie dough for around 17-20 minutes (this will depend on your boxed mix and your oven…I baked mine for 18 minutes), watching carefully so as not to over bake the cookie. Remove it from the oven when the edges are just turning light brown. Be sure to allow the cookie dough crust to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, the thawed whipped topping and the zest of half a lemon. Mix well by hand.
- After the cookie dough crust has cooled completely, spread the topping mixture evenly over the top using a flat spatula. Leave a bit of room around the edges for the cookie crust.
- Decorate the frosted cookie with the berries as you’d like. This is a fun job for the kids!
- Store fruit cookie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice and store any leftovers in the refrigerator to be eaten within a day or two.
