Patriotic Dessert Pizza

I'm finally back with a new recipe!  So much has happened since our last post.  Our home is now sold and we've moved into a rental house. We've finalized our plans for the new home and hope to start building in the beginning of August.  So exciting!  We also took a trip to Niagara Falls.

These pictures are actually from last summer. It was difficult taking pictures this year and keeping an eye on my littlest one without a stroller!

Isn't it beautiful.  It amazes me how close you can get to the falls.  I kept a close eye on my kiddos while we were there, especially my 2 yr. old!  She was carried or holding a hand the whole time (we forgot the stroller).

Now that we're settled, I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer.  This week we are celebrating the 4th of July.  Of course we need a special treat for Independence Day.  I decided to finally try this recipe for Strawberry Pizza from Your Homebased Mom that I pinned last month.  I'm adding some fresh blueberries to make this a red, white and blue pizza or a Patriotic Dessert Pizza. 

Recipe Link
Ingredients 
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp
Filling:
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
8-10 strawberries sliced
about 1/2 cup blueberries
Directions
Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Form into a ball with hands and press into a 14-inch ungreased pizza pan OR roll out the crust on a pizza stone . Use flour as needed to keep crust from sticking to rolling pin.
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Let Cool.
Topping:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Simmer until thick and glossy (about 5-10 minutes). Put in refrigerator to cool while making the filling.
Filling:
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice. 

Spread the cream cheese filling onto the cooled crust. Then, spread the cooled strawberry topping on top of the cream cheese filling. 
Cut fresh strawberries crosswise to make rounds that resemble pepperoni, place on pizza with blueberries.
Enjoy! 
If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator.

Adapted from Your Homebased Mom

Let's get started! Just mix everything together with your hands.

I used my pizza stone.

I rolled out the crust on top of the stone with a little flour. Roll it out as evenly as possible.

I pushed in the edges so they wouldn't be too thin and would bake evenly.

I made the sauce before the filling so it would have more time to cool. My berries were pretty firm, so I used a food processor to mashed them.

Baked and Cooled

First, the cheese mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Next, the sauce.

Finally, the delicious toppings! Red, White and Blue.

Yum! Happy Independence Day!

The Results...
Delicious without being too sweet.  I've found other recipes for dessert pizzas using sugar cookie dough, but I wanted to try this recipe because it is all from scratch and has less sugar in it.  I'm so glad I did!  This is a 5 star recipe and it's perfect for this time of year while blueberries are in season and you can still get fresh strawberries at a good price.

The crust is buttery and flaky.  The sweetened cream cheese filling adds just enough richness paired with the fresh berries and homemade strawberry sauce.  The star of this dessert is definitely the berries.....fresh, sweet and delicious.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

I share recipes at these linky parties
and the Weekend Potluck.