A flavor that screams fall more than the loved pumpkin spice is apple anything! At the beginning of the school year, Jude’s school always does a church in the park plus a pot luck to celebrate the new year. It is a great time because not only do we get to meet lots of new people, have worship in the park and hear all the school kids sing but we also get to enjoy LOTS of delicious food.
We were told to bring dessert and I sat down to think of a great pot luck dessert that people would love and brought the flavors of fall to the party. I instantly thought of fruit pizza but wanted to give it a fall flair. I combined a few recipes came up with this amazing fall dessert.
Caramel Apple Dessert Pizza
Free Printable Recipe Here.
Ingredients:
For the Sugar Cookie Crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter – softened to room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
For the Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese – softened
1/4 cup butter – softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
For the Caramel Apple Topping
3 apples, diced (we used granny smith and gala)
2 cups club soda water
1/2 cup chopped pecans
caramel sauce
Directions:
1. First, prepare the sugar cookie dough. Using a stand mixer, cream the softened butter with a paddle attachment in a large mixing bowl. Cream for about 1 minute on medium speed.
2. Once nice and smooth add sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy and light in color.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch together.
5. With the stand mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
6. Once completely combined – remove dough from bowl and place in a resealable bag, remove all air from bag.
7. Chill dough for at least one hour before using. TIP – with out chilling the dough, the cookie crust will spread over the sides of the pizza pan when baking.
8. When ready to bake cookie crust – preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease pizza pan.
9. Press chilled cookie dough onto pan into a flat circle.
10. Bake cookie for 18-20 minutes – until edges are nice and golden brown.
11. Once baked – let cookie completely cool – putting it into the refrigerator is an easy way to do this.
12. Time to make the frosting. Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.
13. Beat in the soften butter
14. Mix in powdered sugar. Frosting will be nice and smooth.
15. Spread frosting onto the cooled sugar cookie crust.
16. Dice apples in bite size pieces. Once prepared add apple into a bowl of club soda water. This makes sure the apples do not brown.
17. Spread diced apples over the frosting evenly.
18. Sprinkle chopped pecans and drizzle caramel sauce over the apples.
19. Cut dessert pizza just like a normal pizza. Serve and enjoy!
I love the combination of caramel and apples so this dessert was such a treat for me but I sure did hear a lot of complements from others as well. Success! If you are in need of a pot luck friendly dessert this is it! Super easy to make ahead for a busy morning too.
What is your favorite pot luck friendly dessert to share?
That sounds like an awesome desert idea! I want to make this for Thanksgiving this year!
and there goes my diet….
OMGoodness does this look amazing! and so simple to make!
Super tasty idea! It is perfect in time for fall get-togethers!
OMG this looks so good. I love me some dessert pizza for sure.
This looks delicious! I'm going to make it with my girls this weekend.
Wow – this looks amazing! I've made dessert pizzas before but never a caramel apple one. We've got as trip planned to the apple orchard and I'll definitely be making this when we get home.
This is something my family would devour! I love that it is easy to make too. Apple and caramel is the best!
Oh yum! It would be awesome to make a dessert with fresh apples like this. That caramel would be amazing!
That is such a yummy idea! What could be better for fall than caramel and apples?!
I'd like to make this after a trip to our local apple orchard! It looks delish!
My kids love caramel apples and so this is right up their alley. Can you believe we've never been apple picking?
In Brazil we have dessert pizza too! But I loooove your recipe, can't wait to try it!
That looks great! Now I know what I can make next with my kids with all these apples we have around here!
I love dessert pizzas! Caramel apple sounds tasty.
Oh my, this looks delicious and perfect for a fall party we're attending! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I'm definitely going to give this a try!
I am getting together with friends at the end of the month and might just have to try this and see what they think. How delish sounding!
This is such a great fall dessert! I love the caramel drizzle! I think we'll make this for our Halloween party!
That looks amazing! What a great way to use Fall apples!
This is just too easy and looks like my kids would devour it!
I saw your post on Facebook and fell in love with this fab dessert! I am going to love putting it together and then eating it all! 🙂 Thank you