Taffy Apple Pizza

This Pampered Chef classic turns a tube of sugar cookie dough into a 14-inch dessert pizza, layered with a peanut butter cream cheese spread and crisp sliced apples under a caramel drizzle. It’s a knife-and-fork crowd dessert that hits all the candy apple notes without the stick.

The trick to a sturdy crust is the extra flour kneaded into the dough. Refrigerator cookie dough is engineered to spread, so plain unmodified dough turns into a melty puddle on a baking stone. Three tablespoons of flour tighten the structure enough to hold a pizza shape and bake into a chewy, slightly crisp base.

Granny Smith apples bring the right balance of tart crunch against the sweet peanut butter layer. Dipping the slices in lemon-lime soda is the smart Pampered Chef move: the citric acid prevents browning while the sugar adds an extra kiss of sweetness without watering things down like lemon juice would.

Kitchen Tips

• Let the cookie crust cool completely before spreading the cream cheese mixture. Warm crust melts the cream cheese into a soggy mess.
• Soften cream cheese fully on the counter, not in the microwave, for the smoothest spread.
• Slice apples thin and uniform with a mandolin for the cleanest pizza look.
• Drizzle the caramel just warm enough to flow but not hot enough to melt the cream cheese underneath.

Variations

• Substitute almond butter for peanut butter and top with sliced almonds.
• Use mixed apple varieties like Honeycrisp and Pink Lady for color and complex sweetness.
• Add a drizzle of melted dark chocolate alongside the caramel for a chocolate-caramel-apple combo.