My life is full of first world problems. I might be the only cook I know who doesn’t own a stand mixer. I have been coveting one for years, but Santa apparently doesn’t think I’ve been a good girl. Mac Daddy refuses to buy me kitchen gadgets for Mother’s Day or my birthday because he feels it’s too closely tied to the mundane parts of my life. He opts for things like boots and dresses instead so I cannot complain. I’m lucky he has fantastic taste. Early in our marriage I had asked for a tool box for my birthday, but he balked at that. We are not handy people, after all. I figured simply having a tool box would get me halfway there. After a few years this became a joke, and his sister finally bought me a toolbox. We still use it, but it’s mostly full of screwdrivers that don’t fit any screws we have, a couple box cutters with no blades, and a random assortment of loose nuts, bolts, and screws. Anyway, I haven’t a stand mixer so my dessert repertoire is limited (by machinery and skill). I also have the world’s neediest sweet tooth so I do make a homemade dessert on most weekends. Last night I had some leftover pizza dough and decided to forgo the savory and try something sweet with it.
And dessert pizza was born.
1 ball of pizza dough (I use whole wheat for anything savory, but go with the white dough for this treat.)
Drizzle of honey
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough as you would for a pizza put on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Spread sliced almonds all over, pressing them in slightly. Drizzle with honey to taste. Toss berries all over the dough and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar (make sure to get the crust!). Bake for 20 minutes. Add chocolate chips all over and bake for 3-5 more minutes until the chips are soft and gooey but not a puddle. And by all means, add more than 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips if you so desire! Let cool for about 5 minutes. Slice as you would a pizza and serve.
This was a symphony of flavor that elicited audible oohs and aahs. Dessert pizza would also be tasty with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. If you want to err on the side of decadence, spread the dough with Nutella before adding the toppings and skip the honey.