Land of the free, home of the brave…and home of all those happy, hungry, hyper crowds of kids, relatives and friends ready to party it up on Independence Day. That’s why you need these Patriotic Fruit Pizza Cookies!
Like fruit pizza, only better…loads of cookies for a big crowd, chock-full of luscious coconut-y flavor and all dressed up in red, white and blue. The perfect sweet treat to top off the burgers, cobs of corn and melon that’s sure to be snarfed down at the fam picnic.
I love the 4th of July. It’s such a fun holiday, filled with old-fashioned awesomeness…neighborhood breakfasts, parades, rodeos, hikes, picnics, cheesy music, the chance to wear goofy patriotic shirts, barbecues, fireworks. Old-town America at its finest.
So it’s funny that one of my favorite celebrations was on July 1, Canada’s Independence Day! It was a long time ago, before we had kids. Drew and I took this crazy, three-week, not-a-care-in-the-world road trip across the country in our little VW Jetta.
We’d hit the east coast and were headed back west, when we decided to stop and see Niagara Falls. Little did we know that the huge traffic jam we hit was because it was Canada’s big Independence Day celebration. We edged our way over to the Canadian side of the falls, and planted ourselves in the perfect spot to watch fireworks.
So, Americans are a pretty loud crowd in general, and 4th of July fireworks parties are no exception. ..We celebrate with lots of oohs and awws and laughing and cheers. The Canadian crowd that day was different. They watched the fireworks in silence, almost a reverent, spiritual moment shared by thousands. As the show ended, everyone clapped politely. That was it. I LOVED it!
Such a tribute to a great nation, and the perfect way to reflect on freedom, blessings, country. God bless Canada! God bless America! And every other country on this crazy planet.
Count your blessings. Celebrate. Love. Laugh. And eat patriotic fruit pizza cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup coconut
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, yogurt and extracts. Mix together.
- Add dry ingredients (except coconut) and mix just until incorporated.
- Fold in coconut.
- Roll out dough on a floured surface. Using square cookie cutters, cut out cookies, place on parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 7-8 minutes. *See notes
- Cool completely before frosting.
- Combine all ingredients in mixer and beat until fluffy and smooth.
- Frost cookies and decorate with berries and coconut.
Notes
*We used different size square cookie cutters that came together to create a "flag." Feel free to use your creativity to create a patriotic masterpiece 🙂 *Baked and frosted cookies can be frozen for up to one month if wrapped well. Decorate after taking out of freezer.
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