Dr. Princess: Chocolate Dessert Pizza

I'm trying to do this thing where I eat a little healthier. This is mostly in an attempt to give myself a little wiggle room before we take a vacation that involves excessive amounts of pretzels, beer, and Viennese pastries...more on that later. Anyway, this lifestyle change has actually come more easily than I had anticipated. I'm enjoying cooking with a lot of whole foods, especially produce, and I haven't really missed the bad-for-you foods...except the sweets.

I love to bake, and I don't believe that desserts can truly be enjoyed in moderation (seriously, Seasons52, the only good thing about those dessert "shots" is that I feel like I can eat seven of them...NO SELF CONTROL). I mean, can you imagine baking a fresh batch of rich fudgey brownies, only to allow yourself to have 1/8 of one? Where's the fun in that?!

Then I had this idea: what if I made something that satisfied the chocolate craving, but that filled you up on fruit so that you didn't have so much artificial sugar? Okay, so a dessert pizza still isn't exactly healthy, but it's one of the healthier desserts I've made! And this recipe was just rich enough. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Chocolate Dessert Pizza (adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cups whipped topping

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

1 large kiwifruit, peeled and chopped

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars. Beat in the egg, melted chocolate and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place waxed paper over a 15-in. x 10-in. baking sheet without sides. Shape dough into a flattened rectangle and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover dough with waxed paper; roll dough to within 1/4 in. of edges of baking sheet. Remove top sheet of waxed paper; invert dough onto another greased baking sheet. Remove remaining waxed paper.

Using a 4-1/2-in. diameter plate or bowl and a knife, trace three touching circles along a long side of the dough. Trace two more circles centered below and overlapping upper circles by 1 in. Cut around outer edges of the rings; remove dough around rings and use to make cookies if desired. Bake rings at 350° for 14-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add whipped topping; mix well. Transfer cooled crust to a serving platter. Spread with frosting. Top with fruit and enjoy!