Dessert Pizza Recipe and Why Your Kids Should Cook

Start them young, feed their curiosity and give them a skill they will have for life...teach your kids to cook!

At Uncorked Kitchen we inspire creativity and we teach kids the skills necessary to cook smart, and safe. We introduce children to new and exciting recipes and ingredients and have them work in teams so they build good social skills, meet new people, and make new friends.

As a chef and teacher, watching the excitement on children's faces when they tell their parents what they made for their family’s dinner, is pure joy. Even better are the accolades I hear parents give their son or daughter for all their hard work. What a delight it is to see kids succeed and parents beam with pride. What if we had more of that in this world?

Wrapping up a fun summer of teaching Kid's Cooking Camp is bittersweet. I will miss seeing their sweet faces and hearing their silly stories, but I have absolutely loved watching them learn and grow into budding young chefs!

Give them a small taste of success and you will see it suits them!

Chef Janice Johnson

Cooking Instructor, Uncorked Kitchen

Kids love pizza! The only thing they like more than pizza is dessert. I love putting the two together and inspiring creativity. Here is a fun recipe that is sure to please the whole family.

Dessert Pizza Recipe:

Yield 6 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

1 pound homemade pizza dough, recipe follows, or purchased pizza dough.

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for bowl

Toppings:

This is the fun part! Be creative and uses color, and texture to artistically create deliciousness. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

• Raspberries and toasted, sliced almonds on top of whipped cream cheese sweetened with confectioners sugar.
• Hazelnut spread topped with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and chopped, toasted hazelnuts.
• Mini marshmallows, chopped chocolate squares and graham cracker crumbs. Put the pizza back in the oven to melt marshmallows and chocolate for a S'mores Pizza.
• Whipped cream, sliced kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries.
• Mascarpone cheese sweetened with honey, then add red wine poached cherries or use grilled fruit. I recommend sliced grilled peaches.

Directions:

1. Position the oven rack on the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.

2. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to a 9-inch-diameter round. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingers, make indentations all over the dough. Brush the dough with butter, then bake until the crust is crisp and pale golden brown, about 20 minutes.

3. Allow crust to cool to room temp, then spreading a thin layer of your favorite creamy topping. Evenly cover with your favorite fruit, nuts & chocolate toppings. Cut into wedges and serve.