Dairy Free/Sugar Free Fruit Pizza

The fourth of July. Nothing screams summer to me more than this holiday. Charcoal flames and watermelon waft through the day while fireflies and stars twinkle in the muggy dusk as the sun retires. I have so many fond memories celebrating Independence Day in my hometown of Michigan. The days were spent bronzing our skin under the hot sun and jumping into the vast great lakes to cool off. In the evenings, kids sprang around the backyard with sun kissed cheeks as adults assembled themselves with cool drinks and lazy conversation around the grill.

This holiday always had the BEST spread.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, coleslaw, pasta salad, chips, cheese, and pickles decorated the weathered picnic tables. All of my favorite things. One staple that I loved eating every year during this time was fruit pizza. Since cutting out dairy, grains and sugar years ago, I have stared longingly at those gorgeous, sweet and light fruit pizzas as they sat proudly taunting me. Every year I would sadly scoop a spoonful of berries onto my plate-wishing they were nestled on top of a cool whipped cream frosting, and buttery, flaky crust.

This year I decided I would not miss out. I made a mental list of items I currently had in my pantry and refrigerator and within an hour my fruit pizza was cooling in the fridge. As I watched the colorful explosions of color erupt in the night sky- I happily dug my fork into the cool, sweet and buttery treat that I had missed for so many years.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 and ½ cups of almond flour ( I like Kirklands Best Blanched) you can order here <a href=”http://<a href=”https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=78081&u=2898294&m=7873&urllink=&afftrack=”>Over 14000 Health Products at VitaSprings.com, Guaranteed Low Prices and Quality Service! Coupon Code VITASPRINGS1OFF to Get $1 Off on Any Order!http://<a href=”https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=78081&u=2898294&m=7873&urllink=&afftrack=”>Over 14000 Health Products at VitaSprings.com, Guaranteed Low Prices and Quality Service! Coupon Code VITASPRINGS1OFF to Get $1 Off on Any Order!</a>

1 stick of vegan butter melted

1 teaspoon of orange extract

1 tablespoon of monk fruit sweetener (granulated) I use Lakanto brand. https://amzn.to/3kw93d9

A pinch of orange zest

For the frosting:

1 stick of vegan butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon of orange extract

Vanilla flavored coconut almond cream (no sugar)

2 tablespoons of Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener (granulated) https://amzn.to/3kw93d9 add more to taste. ( I prefer a lighter buttery frosting as the berries add a lot of sweetness)

Topping:

Any fruit will work. I prefer strawberries and blueberries.

Directions:

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a shallow pan or pie pan with parchment paper
3. In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, stevia, butter and orange extract until it forms a semi dry dough (like a graham cracker crust)
4. Place the dough into your pan. Spread evenly across the pan while ensuring the outer crust has a little more height (this helps when cutting your pieces)
5. Bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes. The crust should be slightly browned and dry to the touch.
6. Allow crust to cool in the refrigerator while you make your frosting.

For the frosting:

1. Whip room temperature vegan butter until smooth.
2. Add in the orange extract, stevia and coconut/almond creamer until desired consistency. It should be like a soft, easily spreadable whipped topping in consistency. It will firm up in the refrigerator.
3. Spread over the top of your crust evenly.

For the topping:

1. Arrange your fruit variety across the pizza however you would like. Because It was Independence Day, I arranged mine like an American flag

Final Steps:

1. Cover and place in the refrigerator. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.
2. Enjoy!

Modifications: lemon or lime can be used instead of orange extract in the crust or frosting. Using these variations can create a delicious lemon bar or key lime pie!

Are you a blogger as well? Earn money for your excellent content by joining ShareASale!<a href=”http://Find a sponsor for your web site. <a href=”https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=44&u=2898294&m=47&urllink=&afftrack=”>Get paidhttp://Find a sponsor for your web site. <a href=”https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=44&u=2898294&m=47&urllink=&afftrack=”>Get paid</a> for your great content. shareasale.com.