Caramel Apple Fruit Pizza is an autumn dessert pizza with a sugar cookie crust, cream cheese frosting, toasted pecans, and caramel drizzle.
Fruit dessert pizza is a popular choice, especially during the spring and summer, with all of the fresh fruit that is available. Now that apples are in season, you can enjoy an apple dessert pizza!
In This Post
Recipe History
What do you serve when your husband’s BOSS and his family are coming to your house for coffee? And as if that’s not enough pressure, add the fact that your husband’s boss is a big fan of your blog, so he sees all the desserts you make.
Before choosing this apple pizza, I thought about lots of different recipes I could make and didn’t know if I should go with a classic or try something new that I hadn’t posted yet. Finally, I decided to serve a few different things.
I had some sugar cookies on hand, and I knew the kids would love them. I also made white chocolate pecan cookie bars served with vanilla ice cream and warm maple caramel sauce. Finally, I wanted to serve something seasonal, and since the summer is rapidly turning into fall, I decided to make this caramel apple fruit pizza.
Brian has worked with Jayson and his wife Jenny for over 10 years (maybe 15?) at a couple of different companies. I’ve gotten to know them both through Brian, but this was our first opportunity to have them in our home. We had such a wonderful evening together, and I was super excited that they brought me a ton of vegetables from their organic garden!
Apple Dessert Pizza Ingredients
- Crust: Make the pizza crust with sugar cookie dough. We’ve included a homemade sugar cookie dough recipe, but you can also use store-bought dough if you are short on time.
- Sauce: For the sauce, use a cream cheese frosting!
- Toppings: Top the pizza with apples, toasted pecans, and caramel syrup.
How To Make Caramel Apple Fruit Pizza
Start with a sugar cookie crust. I make it in a 9-inch springform pan so that I can serve it on a cake stand. But you can also make sugar cookie bars in a 9-inch square pan.
Next up are the apples. I used a gorgeous green Granny Smith apple and a juicy red Fuji apple, but you can use any apples you want. HELLO, autumn! I love everything about you!
Put the diced apples in club soda for about 3 minutes to prevent browning.
Mix together the cream cheese frosting, spread it on the sugar cookie crust, and top with the diced apples.
Sprinkle with toasted pecans and drizzle with caramel sauce. To get a more precise drizzle, I piped the caramel syrup on the fruit pizza from a disposable icing bag.
This caramel apple fruit pizza is a delicious way to celebrate the flavors of fall. So, I’ve already made this recipe for apple pizza a couple more times and shared it with lots of friends. Everyone loves how pretty the apple dessert pizza looks, and they all agree that it is delicious!
What Others Want To Know
This delicious dessert pizza features cream cheese frosting, crisp, tart, diced apples, toasted pecans, and rich, melty caramel on a sugar cookie crust.
Typically, fruit pizza is made with a sugar cookie crust. However, you could use a ginger cookie crust, a pizza crust, or even a puff pastry for different flavors.
Fruit pizza is a tart that is more like a pizza with multiple fruits or toppings, and, of course, it has a round pizza-like shape. A traditional fruit tart usually has only one or two fruits for a topping.
Yes, store fruit pizza in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the crust is likely to absorb moisture from the fruit after a day or so and can become soggy.
More Apple Recipes
- Our Bloomin’ Baked Apple is an easy fall dessert with an ooey, gooey center.
- Caramel Apple In A Jar includes everything needed for a scrumptious fall dessert!
- Caramel Apple Mousse Cake has layers of apple cake and creamy caramel mousse.
- Make Apple Tarts and impress your guests with this delicious, pretty dessert!
- Apple Bars are easy to make with a cake mix crust.
- Caramel Apple Truffles are a delicious bite-sized treat!
Caramel Apple Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust:
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz package cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon half-n-half if necessary
Toppings:
- 2 large apples diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 ½ cups club soda water
- ½ cup toasted pecans
- ½ cup caramel syrup
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Beat the butter and shortening together.
- Add granulated sugar and cream together for 2-3 minutes until lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Mix in the baking powder, salt, and flour.
- Press dough into a greased 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake at 375˚F for 15-17 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Beat in the softened butter.
- Mix in powdered sugar.
- Stir in the vanilla and add half-n-half if necessary.
Assembly:
- Put the diced apples in the club soda water immediately after cutting them. Soak them in the water for about 3 minutes and then drain the water.
- Spread the prepared cream cheese frosting on the cooled sugar cookie crust.
- Top with the diced apples, sprinkle with chopped pecans and drizzle the caramel sauce over the top.
Brittany says
Can the shortening be replaced?
Tonia Larson says
You can replace it with an equal amount of butter.
Cristina says
How did you toast the pecans? Did you use any butter?
Thanks!
Tonia says
Hi Cristina,
I have a blog post about it here: https://www.thegunnysack.com/how-to-toast-pecans/
Enjoy!
~Tonia
Diane says
Has anyone made this before in a 9×13 pan?
Sue says
Could I use lemon juice instead of soda for the apples?
Tonia says
Yes, you could but the lemon juice flavor might come through. Here is a list of 10 apples that don’t brown easily: http://www.healwithfood.org/best-apple-varieties/non-gmo-apples-that-dont-brown-easily.php You could try one of those varieties and skip the soda altogether! Best of luck!
Ayesha Farhana says
They look yummy and I’ll definitely be making them.. The pics are amzing.
Amy says
Now that’s my kind of pizza!! It looks amazing. Thanks.
Lucy Cramer says
Has anybody ever tried it with a peanut butter cookie or brownie for the base?
amy says
THIS LOOKS AMAZING Such great photos. I am linking in it in my Apples Play Date Planner. I love the pecans yum.
http://922saturdays.com/harvest-time-apple-play-date-planner-roundup/
Pam says
Could I use the refrigerated cookie dough and put it on a pizza pan? Also, if made ahead of time, do I store in in the frig?
Tonia says
Yes and yes. 🙂 I’ve never tried using the refrigerated cookie dough for this recipe but it should work just fine. Best of luck!
Kristie says
Can this be made on a cooke sheet? I need to feed a large group of people and was thinking of doubling the ingredients and putting it on a cookie sheet and cutting into bars. Anything I should change? Thanks.
Tonia says
No, I would not make it on a cookie sheet, because it might spread right off the pan. How many people are you making it for? I would suggest using a 9×13 pan or even using a jelly roll pan. Here is my recipe for a large pan of sugar cookie bars that you could use for the crust: http://www.thegunnysack.com/brown-butter-sugar-cookie-bars-with-fluffy-buttercream-frosting/ If you make it in a 9×13, you might not even have to double it because the crust is pretty thick in the 9-inch springform pan.
Kristie says
I like your idea of using the other recipie for the crust. I will use a jelly roll pan. Do you suggest doubling the apple’s and cream cheese mixture?
Tonia says
Yes, they would need to be doubled. Best of luck!
Kristie says
Can this be made on a cooke sheet? I need to feed a large group of people and was thinking of doubling the ingredients and putting it on a cookie sheet and cutting into bars. Anything I should change? Thanks.
Kristie says
Can this be made on a cooke sheet? I need to feed a large group of people and was thinking of doubling the ingredients and putting it on a cookie sheet and cutting into bars. Anything I should change? Thanks.
Shelly says
Hi Tonia,
Could this be made ahead of time for a large party??? I was thinking maybe individual cookies. What are your thoughts..
Many Thanks
Tonia says
Hi Shelly – Yes, you can make it ahead of time…maybe the day before? The apples might start to brown some, but the flavor is still the same. You should try to dry the apple pieces with a paper towel before adding them to your cookies and the caramel would look best of you drizzled it on before serving (or closer to serving time). Best of luck with your party! ~Tonia
kp says
Saw this today – made it tonight – taking it to church tomorrow! Oh, we did have to sample it first – yumm! Thanks for sharing!
kp says
Saw this today – made it tonight – taking it to church tomorrow! Oh, we did have to sample it first – yumm! Thanks for sharing!
kp says
Saw this today – made it tonight – taking it to church tomorrow! Oh, we did have to sample it first – yumm! Thanks for sharing!
Lyuba@willcookforsmiles says
This is my kind of pizza!! Love the fall flavors here
Matt Robinson says
I could literally stare at this all day, it looks incredibly good!
Tonia says
Thanks Matt! It does look pretty, but it tastes even better!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
My husband’s boss lives 3000 miles away, so thankfully I never have that problem. 🙂 But this cookie. OMG!
Tonia says
Oh, you never know, Dorothy! He/She might decided to come to the USA for a visit and want to spend some time in an American home. LOL! Thanks!
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
What a fun fall treat – and so much easier than eating a caramel apple!! 🙂
Tonia says
Thanks Jamie! It’s gotten hot out again so it’s hard to think that it’s almost fall. I have been seeing colorful leaves on the ground already!