Dessert Pizzas

Pizzas are not just savory.  You can turn them into lots of wonderful desserts.  After all the crust is just bread dough.  Restaurants have been turning them into chocolate desserts and cinnamon sticks that are really tasty.  Here are a couple new ideas on what to do with your pizza dough.

Pecan Pizza

1 pizza crust

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 chopped cups pecans

1/2 cup corn syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough out into a 14 inch pizza.  Pinch up a rim around the edge.

Mix together the eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in nuts.  Spread nut mixture on your crust.

Drizzle corn syrup on top of mixture and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is browned nicely.

Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or to really goose it up serve it drizzled with caramel sauce and/or a hot fudge sauce for a turtle pizza. 

Warm Fruit Pizza 

Super simple the way I like it.  Serve warm out of the oven.

Pizza dough

Canned pie filling

Icing

You can make your own pizza dough or just use store bought which ever you prefer.  After spreading out your pizza dough on a sprayed pizza pan and putting a lip around the edge, take a can of your favorite pie fruit filling (I like cherry, strawberry, peach or apple) and spread it on the dough. 

Bake it at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is browned.  Let cool sightly and then drizzle it with glaze. 

Another goosed up version might be to add a crumble or pecans to the top if you use apples.  You can also drizzle a chocolate icing if you use cherries or strawberries.  I use my own apple-pie-in-a-jar to make this so it has cinnamon it.  If you are using canned apple or peach pie filling, make sure you add some cinnamon if it does not have it.  This is great for a brunch buffet.

Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

The icing should be a little runny.  Put it in a small baggie and cut a hole in the corner to pipe the glaze on the pizza.  It tastes like a warm Danish roll.  You can also use an icing with cream cheese in it. 

Pizza Dough

To be honest, I prefer using packaged dough and saving the mess and time, but if you want to make the dough yourself this is a good recipe.  

1 cup of warm water (around 105 degrees Fahrenheit)

1/2 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of dry yeast

A little over 2 cups of bread flour (Need high gluten content)

Put your yeast in warm water (no hotter than 105 degrees or you will kill the yeast).  Add sugar and let sit 5 minutes to activate the yeast.  It will get foamy.  Add salt and oil once the yeast is activated.

Gradually add the flour a little at a time and mix.  You will know when you have added enough by it becoming too thick to stir.

Kneed dough on floured board or if you are blessed with a Kitchen Aid use it with the hook (Kitchen Aide has recipe in it's book).  If it is too sticky add a little more flour as you kneed. 

Let rise 1 hour at room temperature or 5 hours in the refrigerator.  Great tip is to put a little oil in a baggie and let it rise in the baggie.  Put it is a warm place for the 1 hour rush.  It should rise twice its original size. 

Cut the dough into 2 balls and spread out one of the doughs making a lip on the pizza pan.  You can refrigerate the 2^nd ball for several days or you can freeze it for the next pizza you make if you aren't making 2 pizzas.

S’mores Pizza

Pizza dough

Nutella

Chocolate chips or Hershey Chocolate Bars

Mini marshmallows

Gramcrackers

I found this on the internet and saved it to try it and thought I would also share it. I thought my grandsons would like it.  If you or yours kids like S'mores, you should like this one too.  I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure going to at our next camping trip.  You can actually make it on the grill.

Roll your dough into whatever shape you like.  Pre-cook the dough first on the grill until it is slightly browned.  Take off the grill.

Smear on a good layer of Nutella chocolate spread.  Sprinkle handfuls of chocolate chips or cut up Hershey’s Chocolate bars and marshmallows all over.  Crush up gram crackers and sprinkle on top. Place bon on low heat of the grill until the marshmallows are browned.  If using the oven bake at 350 degrees until the marshmallows are golden brown and the crust is cooked through.  Again, I would pre-cook the crust first.  If you try it and there are problems, please comment.  

If you like the idea of pizza for a Sunday brunch, you can also do an eggs, sausage and cheese pizza. We have a local pizza place that makes a great breakfast pizza that I like almost as much as a real Italian pizza. Pre-cook the pizza first and then top with scrambled eggs, pre-cooked sausage and Cheddar cheese.  Add any other goodies you think might go well with the eggs.  Put back in the oven at 350 degrees and let the cheese brown.  Slice and serve.  Share any new ideas you might have.  

Have a blessed Sunday.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.