Homemade Fruit Pizza Cookies (Gluten Free)
These fruit pizza cookies are a healthier, made-from-scratch twist on the classic sugar cookie tube and Cool Whip concoction most people make. Nourish your body, and still enjoy “normal people” food with this fun dessert.
Gluten Free | Grain Free | Dairy Free Option | No Refined Sugar
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Fruit pizzas are such a fun way to do dessert for a crowd. Top a buttery crust with cream cheese and fruit and everyone wants to grab a piece and dig in.
Or make them smaller and easier to eat with a fruit pizza cookie–the perfect bit size version!
The problem with regular fruit pizza recipes
But here’s the problem: The traditional recipe use an awful lot of processed ingredients. A roll of sugar cookie dough, Cool Whip, and lots of white sugar.
Healthy bodies don’t run on any of those things but we still want to enjoy food that feels normal.
Having a couple of these cookies won’t hurt anything as long as you can control yourself and don’t eat the whole batch.
We are using maple sugar in these which replaces the refined white sugar and it’s inflammatory triggers, but it will still raise your blood sugar.
Tips for choosing healthy fruit pizza cookie ingredients
Cookie crust
Every ingredient used in these fruit pizza cookies can be found in most local grocery stores or on Amazon. They are gluten free and grain free but don’t let that scare you. Your body will thank you for the change! Check your baking aisle for most of these:
- Almond flour–this grain free flour is actually just ground nuts. Choose a “fine” almond flour for best results. I tested with Bob’s Red Mill or Aldi’s version.
- Coconut flour–just a little bit adds structure to the almond flour.
- Arrowroot starch–helps give the cookies a bit of a “snap” like a cookie made with wheat flour.
- Maple sugar–a sweet swap for white sugar made from boiled down maple syrup. Coconut sugar would substitute or you could use Monkfruit if you don’t mind the flavor.
Cream Cheese
Being able to eat dairy is hard for some people. If you need to make these dairy free, use any dairy free cream cheese you like here, and swap the butter for dairy free, use ghee, or even a bit of solid coconut oil would be fine.
If you can tolerate dairy, my doctors say cultured cream cheese is fine to have in moderation. Try to choose one like Nancy’s brand which has live probiotics or get an organic one. I tested this recipe with Kroger’s organic cream cheese.
Nancy’s was too thin and runny to stay on the cookies.
Fruit Glaze
Most recipes use a bit of apricot jam as a glaze. I do too–but I use Thrive Market’s line of fruit juice sweetened jams. They are delicious without the tons of white sugar.
You can save $40 off your first Thrive Market order when you try them out.
Best fruits for fruit pizza cookies
You can use any combination of fruits you like but try to keep things colorful! For making cookies, it’s easier to chop the fruit small so it will pile on the cookies easily. If you are making a full size pizza, you can slice fruits like bananas or kiwi and keep blackberries or blueberries whole.
Some fruits that are popular on fruit pizzas include:
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Kiwi
- Bananas (toss in lemon juice to prevent browning)
- Strawberries
- Mandarin oranges
- Pineapple
- Grapes
How to keep fruit pizza cookies from getting soggy
To keep your fruit pizza cookies from getting soggy, try to assemble as close to serving time as possible.
You can also choose fruits that let out less liquid–like berries instead of mandarin oranges.
Fruit pizza cookies will hold just fine for a few hours in the fridge before serving and this particular recipe was still decently crispy three days after I made it but I wouldn’t recommend you wait that long.
How to transport fruit pizza cookies
If you’re going a short distance, just place your cookies on a rimmed tray and cover with plastic wrap.
If you have a longer trip to make, pack the cookies in your cooler in an air tight container in a single layer and don’t let any ice or water get in them.
Fruit Pizza Cookies (Homemade)
Ingredients
For the Cookie Layer
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
- 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 8 tablespoons cold butter cut in to tablespoons ; dairy free or coconut oil will substitute
For the Cream Cheese Layer
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, softened ; dairy free or coconut oil will substitute
- 8 ounces cream cheese dairy free will substitute
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the fruit
- 2 kiwi
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam optional to glaze
Instructions
Make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 and place an oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, gelatin, salt and sugar to a stand mixer and pulse to combine.
- Add the butter all at once and mix until a ball of dough forms. It make take a minute or so to come together.
- Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and use your hand to gently flatter to a disc.
- Lay another piece of parchment on top and use a rolling pin to roll the dough just under 1/2 inch thick.
- Peel off the top parchment and transfer the bottom parchment and dough to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating it halfway through until just golden on the edges. Keep an eye on it because almond flour burns quickly.
- Remove from the oven and use a 2" round cookie cutter to gently press the cookie shapes into the dough while still hot. No need to press all the way down into the cookies, just make the shape and wait 7 minutes before proceeding.
- After 7 minutes, go back and punch the cookies all the way down. Peel away any scraps of dough from the cookies and let them cool completely on the baking tray. They will firm significantly as they cool.
Make the Cream Cheese
- While the cookies cool, add the butter or coconut oil to a bowl with the cream cheese.
- Add vanilla and maple sugar and use a hand mixer or spoon to blend everything together evenly. Set aside or refrigerate.
Prepare the Fruit and Glaze
- Wash, peel (if necessary) and chop the fruits of your choice into small pieces. Set aside. I used kiwi, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.
- Add two tablespoons apricot jam to a bowl and warm in the microwave 30 seconds to thin. Set aside.
Assemble
- Spread each cookie with the cream cheese mixture. Make a layer about 1/2" thick.
- Add the fruit on each cookie and brush with the warm apricot glaze.
- Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or serve immediately.
About the Author
Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.