Fruit Pizza Station

This Fruit Pizza Station was such a huge hit at my sons 2nd birthday party, thankfully I had made 4 dozen cookies so I had plenty for the crowd! This is so easy and such a fun way for your guests to interact and choose their own toppings. The soft chewiness of the cookie combined with the creamy sweet frosting and fresh fruit make for an irresistible combination that will impress even the pickiest of eaters. 

As you can see the display is quite beautiful and colorful. This is definitely going on the list of necessities  at all of my parties and I will be sure to find fruit that is in season and fresh. Peaches will be lovely in the late summer when our peach tree is in full bloom. I recommend preparing the cookies and frosting in advance, at least the night before so that all you have to do on the day of the party is frost the cookies and prepare the fruit and display.

I wanted this to be as easy as possible but if you feel ambitious feel free to make the cookies from scratch. Let's get started:

Sugar Cookie: 

• 3 packages of Sugar Cookie Mix
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups of water
• 3 sticks of softened butter (room temperature and soft but not melted)
• Follow package instructions for drop cookies and drop a rounded tablespoon of the mixture onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 
• For high altitude (ie: NM) add a tablespoon per package of flour and increase cooking temperature by 15 degrees.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely and place in gallon sized Ziploc bags for storage until you are ready for them. 

Frosting:

• 1 large/13 ounce container of Marshmallow Creme or 2 small containers
• 2 packages of cream cheese softened (I normally like to take the cream cheese and butter out of the refrigerator at least 1-2 hours before starting)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Combine Marshmallow Creme and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and whisk, stir or use a hand mixer to combine until you have achieved a creamy texture and have no lumps of cream cheese. 
• Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency. You want the frosting to be firm but creamy so it will stay on the cookie and withstand the addition of fresh fruit. 
• Place frosting in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to frost.

Fruit Preparation: 

Choose fruit according to what you like as well as what is in season and available. If using canned or frozen fruit make sure to allow for time to thaw and drain. Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries go really well with this as well as canned or frozen pineapple chunks. I got my pineapple chunks in the frozen section of Trader Joes.

• Cut strawberries, kiwi, mango or any larger fruit into pieces about the size of a blueberry. 
• Place all of the fruit in individual containers or serving dishes and Place a serving utensil with each dish.
• Fruit can be prepared just prior to the party or event.

Putting it all together:

• Frost the cookies and place in a single layer on serving trays the day of the party. Store in the refrigerator until ready to display. 
• Layout your display with the beautiful fruit being the focal point. 
• Make sure to instruct your guests that this is a "Make-your-own Fruit Pizza Station" a sign would be helpful so that you can tend to other areas of your party. 
• Bring the cookies out as needed so that you have more counter space available. 
• Here is what the finished display looks like:

I hope this helps to make your next party absolutely amazing. Please comment below if you have any questions or requests for future blog posts. Happy party planning. 

Food is Love and I Love Food! 

XOXO, 

Aimee