This strawberry pizza has always been one of my father’s favorite desserts since I can remember, it is light, not overly sweet, and refreshing. When my mom passed away there was a long time neither one of us had the strawberry pizza, she was the only one who made it. It was something that when you thought of Beth, my mother, you thought of this dessert.
However, what I had forgotten was a while back my mom sat me down and had me write down the recipe for the strawberry pizza – and in an old blue composition notebook, there it was. When I finally made this recipe after what seemed like years, it was just as delicious as my dad and I remembered. I genuinely hope you and your family enjoy this recipe and dish that has created so many memories at family gatherings – and you and yours create even more when enjoying this dish.
The Crust
Don’t overthink this, I’m serious. Melt your butter, and add it to your flour, brown sugar, pecans and mix it up till everything is wet. Place it on a pizza dish [a rectangular baking pan works too, but a round pizza is always more fun in my opinion] and spread it out thin till it’s about ¼ inch thick. Pop, it in the oven and keep an eye on it because it bakes quickly, you don’t want to burn this crust. Make sure it is FULLY COOLED before you top it.
The Cream Filling
While you wait for it to cool this is when you can work on your toppings. I recommend letting your cream cheese block sit out at room temperature for an hour before mixing it in – you will avoid those large cream cheese chunks and will create a smooth and creamy texture. Add your sugar and room temperature cream cheese into a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to combine. After you have mixed the two, slowly add in your cool whip. Once all the cool whip has been added you can cover this and put it in the fridge till you are read to top your pizza.
Strawberry Topping
This is probably the “trickiest” portion of this incredible treat. Too much water – your gelatin will not set – not enough strawberries, it will be to gelatinous. Add in your water, jello mix, corn starch, sugar, and salt and allow your sugar and cornstarch to completely dissolve. Your mixture will look “foggy” red – be patient. As the temperature of your mixture goes up, it will become translucent red.
At this point – you can remove it from the heat and add your strawberries. Mix the strawberries and jello mixture till all the strawberries are completely covered. Allow your mixture to cool off heat – and I recommend placing it into the fridge to CHILL. You don’t want to place a hot/warm strawberry mixture on top of your whipped cream mixture.
When it cools it the fridge it also allows the jello to solidify – so you have less of a liquid sauce and more “solid” sauce – this will also make it easier when spreading and significantly less messy in the end.
Topping the Pizza
Keep it simple: Cool Crust, Whipped Cream Mixture, Cool Strawberry Topping – Be sure to keep this treat refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve Cold. Enjoy!
Storing the Pizza
If you don’t have room in your fridge prior to serving, refrigerate your cream cheese and strawberry topping. Keep the crust out at room temperature and top your pizza right before you serve it.
Strawberry Pizza [A Family Favorite]
Ingredients
Crust
Cream Cheese Filling
Strawberry Topping
Instructions
Crust
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Pre-heat oven to 400 Degrees F.
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Add flour, melted butter, pecans, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and combine.
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Spread the crust mixture in a circular shape (like a pizza crust) on to your pizza pan.
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Bake for 15 minutes at 400 Degrees F and let cool completely.
Cream Filling
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While the crust bakes, you can make the cream cheese filling.
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Have your cream cheese to room temperature or at least softened
This helps avoid lumps. -
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip and mix.
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Cover and set cream filling aside in the fridge.
Strawberry Topping
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Add ½ cup of water, gelatin, sugar, and cornstarch and stir over medium-low heat till liquid becomes translucent – stir till smooth and remove from heat.
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Stir in sliced strawberries
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Let topping cool completely in the fridge to help solidify gelatin texture.
Topping the Pizza
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Once crust is completely cooled, spread cream cheese topping on top of the crust. After spreading cream cheese, top it with the cooled strawberry topping.
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Refrigerate for 3 hours or till ready to serve.
