Pumpkins & apples naturally go together. They are harvested around the same time and both are essential components of the fall holidays. Pumpkins, indigenous to North America, were an important food source for Native and Colonial Americans. They weren’t carved for jack o’lanterns until Irish immigrants brought the tradition of carving gourds with them to America in the mid-1800s.
Apples were brought to North America by European settlers as both grafts from apple trees and seeds from the fruit itself. The grafts failed in our harsher climate, but the plantings from seeds flourished in the various climates across the expanding United States. Within a century, American apple varieties were completely distinct from their transcontinental counterparts.
What better way to celebrate the end of the harvest season & Halloween than to pair these two fruits together in a dessert?!
Pumpkin & Apple Dessert Pizza
Pumpkin Apple Dessert Pizza (adapted from verybestbaking.com)
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes 12 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds sugar cookie dough, refrigerated or homemade
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup thinly sliced apple, (about 8 ounces) peeled and cored
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 sheet caramel apple wrap, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease a 14-inch pizza pan or large baking sheet. Gently spread the cookie dough on the prepared pan, using your fingertips, to a 12-inch circle. Bake the dough for 22 to 25 minutes or until it is a light golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and prick it all over with a fork. Cool the cookie dough crust in the pan on a wire rack.
Spread the cookie dough out and prebake it.
Beat the pumpkin, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cinnamon in a small mixer bowl until it is smooth. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust to within 3/4 inch of the edge.
Combine the cream cheese with the pumpkin, sugar & spices.
Mix the apple slices with the remaining sugar and a dash of cinnamon in a small bowl. Place the apple slices on the pizza, add the caramel apple wrap pieces, then sprinkle the nuts over it all, if using.
Top the dough with the pumpkin spread then the other toppings.
Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes. Cut the pizza into wedges and serve warm with whipped cream if desired.
An awesome fall dessert!
Perfect for a Halloween party or any other special fall occasion! ~Linda
Pumpkin Apple Dessert Pizza (adapted from verybestbaking.com)
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes 12 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds sugar cookie dough, refrigerated or homemade
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup thinly sliced apple, (about 8 ounces) peeled and cored
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 sheet caramel apple wrap, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease a 14-inch pizza pan or large baking sheet. Gently spread the cookie dough on the prepared pan, using your fingertips, to a 12-inch circle. Bake the dough for 22 to 25 minutes or until it is a light golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and prick it all over with a fork. Cool the cookie dough crust on the pan on a wire rack.
Beat the pumpkin, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cinnamon in a small mixer bowl until it is smooth. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust to within 3/4 inch of the edge. Mix the apple slices with the remaining sugar and a dash of cinnamon in a small bowl. Place the apple slices on the pizza, add the caramel apple wrap pieces, then sprinkle the nuts over it all, if using. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes. Cut the pizza into wedges and serve warm with whipped cream if desired.