Berry Almond Fruit Pizza

 

What’s red, white, and blue, and won’t burn you this 4th of July? Unlike the rogue bottle rocket shot by your hyperactive nephew, my berry almond fruit pizza will only cool you down, and it definitely won’t make you scream curse words–unless you normally do that when you eat delicious food.  It’s a festive dessert with some semblance of health still remaining, so all those healthy eating habits you’ve been working on this summer won’t be for nothing. You won’t even want that brownie-Reese’s-Oreo covered dessert that someone else brought, because you’ll be devouring this sweet fruit-covered pizza (although, let’s be realistic, you’ll probably have a little piece of the brownie thing too, because who wouldn’t).

 

I love bananas on fruit pizza, but since they always brown and make the pizza look ugly, I mixed a banana into the crust for extra hidden nutrition. The almonds and coconut make for a slightly crisp but still chewy crust, and the vanilla-coconut creme layer is topped with strawberries and blueberries. You’ll be having a red-white-and-blue celebration in your mouth.

 

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{Berry Almond Fruit Pizza}

If you need a healthier go-to dessert for family events this fruit pizza is a winner all around. You can use your favorite fruit topping, and the almonds add a nice nutty taste to the crust you won’t get with a traditional crust–plus it gluten-free!

 

Adapted from Fruit Pizza with Coconut-Almond Crust

 

Servings: 16

 

Ingredients for crust

2 cups almonds, blended into a flour

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 medium overripe banana

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Ingredients for topping

1 5.3 oz container nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 8oz container neufchantel cheese

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 1/2 cups blueberries

2 cups strawberries, sliced

 

 

Directions for crust

Blend almonds into a flour in a high-powered food processor or blender. Mix in banana, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup coconut by hand, until incorporated. Freeze dough for 20 minutes–this will make it less sticky and easier to spread on a pizza sheet.  Line a round pizza sheet with parchment paper, and grease parchment paper (I used a little coconut oil, but any nonstick spray will work). Press dough into pizza pan, and drizzle 1 tbsp honey evenly over crust. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes–watch to make sure it doesn’t burn. The goal is slightly browned! Let cool completely before topping.

 

Directions for topping

Combine yogurt, cheese, honey, coconut, and vanilla, and whip for 30 seconds with a hand mixer, then spread evenly over surface of cooled pizza. Top with sliced strawberries and blueberries.

 

Nutrition info per slice:  197 cal, 13 g fat (5 g sat fat), 6 g pro, 16 g carb, 3 g fiber

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