This dessert pizza recipe is sure to class up your next dinner party and tickle your sweet tooth. It really only resembles a pizza in so much as it's round, has some type of a crust and is finished with toppings, other than that, it's a dessert for sure. I wouldn't mention it in Italy or try to get a slice of it in New York, but that doesn't mean that it's not ridiculously delicious and tasty all the way down.

Step 1: Ingredients

Dessert pizza recipes can vary quite a bit depending on what kind of crust you'd like to use and what fruits are fresh and in season when you decide to make it. The basic elements include a cookie like crust, some kind of sweat icing to stand in for sauce, and then various sweet toppings ranging from chocolate to fruit to marshmallow fluff. I'm using premade sugar cookie dough, cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit in this recipe, but feel free to modify to suit your imagination.

store bought sugar cookie dough
soft or whipped cream cheese
powdered sugar
orange marmalade
banana
kiwi
grapes
apple
orange
mango
strawberries
blackberries
star fruit (for its aesthetic qualities)

Step 2: Preheat the Oven

The first step is to preheat the oven to 350 F so that you can bake the cookie dough.

Step 3: Roll Out Cookie Dough Crust

Next, roll the sugar cookie dough into a ball and then use the palms of your hands or a roller to smoosh it out onto a baking pan to form a circle.

Step 4: Bake Until Golden Brown

Bake the giant sugar cookie/crust for 9-12 minutes depending on its size and thickness. When it's done, remove it and let it cool for a few minutes before transferring it to a large flat surface for assembly and toppings.

Step 5: Make Icing

The sauce (aka icing) is a simple 1 to 1 mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar. I threw in a teaspoon of vanilla too for flavor. Mix the frosting well and chill it in the fridge for a few minutes.

Step 6: Cut Fruit

Cut the fresh fruit into small, uniform and aesthetically pleasing slices. Small pieces of fruit like grapes and blackberries don't need to be cut and can be applied directly to the dessert pizza as is. The more uniform and archetypal the slices, the more pretty the pizza.

Step 7: Spread on Icing

Spread the icing evenly onto the sugar cookie crust. Make sure you get it everywhere - it will be the glue that holds the entire operation together.

Step 8: Assemble the Fruit Artfully

Starting at the center, assemble the fruit as beautifully as possible in a spiral fashion until you've finished your dessert. Think about layering, nesting and using contrasting colors to make your desert pizza as pretty as you can. I think a little practice goes a long way with this part.

Step 9: Marmalade Glaze

To make the desert pizza extra shiny, mix two tablespoons of orange marmalade with 1 tablespoon of water to create a sugary glaze. Then, using a pastry brush, carefully paint the top surface of the pizza with the glaze.

You should notice the immediate results - not only will you need sunglasses just to deal with the glare coming off your dessert pizza, the marmalade mixture will keep the fruit from drying out and help preserve your creation if you decide not to eat it immediately.