mini dessert pizzas.

Lori makes a great large dessert pizza which consists of a sugar cookie "pizza", cream cheese & cool whip "sauce", and fruit "toppings". I didn't put any sugar in these cookies though. Can't really call them a sugar cookie without the sugar, right?! Let's just call them Whole Wheat Honey Cookies. I'll have to make some adjustments before these Honey Cookies will be good all on their own. The combo of cookie, frosting and fruit was perfection though.

Whole Wheat Honey Cookies-

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. honey

1/2 c. butter

2 T milk, or less*

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

*Since honey is a liquid, you might not need this much milk. Add milk last and only as much as necessary to blend ingredients.

Bring butter and egg to room temperature. In a bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Fluff the flour before measuring. In another bowl, combine honey, butter, vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. Add milk if necessary. Blend thoroughly. I found that refrigerating the dough for a few hours helps the cookies bake beautifully. But you can make them right away without refrigerating. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Roll dough into balls. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Let cool.

Variations: You can roll dough through cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg mixture before baking if desired. Either orange or lemon zest would be a great addition to the dough, too.

Cream Cheese & Cool Whip Frosting-

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz cool whip

1 t. vanilla extract

1 T honey

Blend ingredients thoroughly. If you add orange or lemon zest to the dough, add 2 t. to 1 T fresh orange or lemon juice to the frosting.

Fruit-

Cut any fruit into small pieces. Suggested: strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, nectarines, peaches, kiwi, banana, grapes, etc.

Assemble mini dessert pizzas - Frost the cooled whole wheat honey cookies with a thick layer of cream cheese & cool whip frosting. Top with chopped fruit pieces.

xx.

val