Chocolate Pizza

Every few months when the seasons change, I always feel like I'm experiencing it for the first time. So, in the recent weeks as we were transitioning from summer into autumn, it's felt really surreal. All of a sudden, it's gotten to be pitch black outside when my alarm goes off. I'm greeted with a chill when I let the dog out to do his business in the morning. I'm craving soups and stews. These changes, for some reason, feel so foreign, as if I've never experienced them before.

But, my favorite "new" thing is that I can turn on the oven without feeling guilty about wasting the air conditioning because it's cool enough that we don't need that sucker anymore.  I've mostly been snacking on fruit and s'mores as an after dinner treat; basically only summer-themed desserts for the past two months. But, after what's felt like years of not using an oven, I finally fired it up again to make this decadent dessert of chocolate pizza.

Inspired by Max Brenner's, I took a literal pizza crust and topped it with sugary ingredients 

This isn't a full-blown recipe post because honestly, it's friggin' easy and you can customize it with whatever you like. However, you can scroll down to the bottom for my quick pizza dough recipe page.

So, start by making a batch of pizza dough. I love this quick pizza dough recipe because you don't have to wait for it to rise.

However, it is nice to let the dough rest briefly after kneading to allow the gluten to calm down a bit. That way, it's much easier to roll it out.

For one of the toppings, I took an ice cream cone, smashed it up, and then drizzled the pieces with caramel.

Back to the pizza now. Roll the dough out into a 9" to 10" round and place on a sheetpan. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes or until the dough is cooked through.

To make it a bit easier to serve, pre-cut the pizza slices.

Arrange the pizza crust back onto a sheet pan lined with foil (for easy clean up). Top with chocolate chips and pop back into the oven for a minute or until the chips melt. Spread around to cover the pizza like a sauce.

And then, at this point, it's up to you to cover with whatever you like. I went for mini marshmallows, dollops of Nutella and mixed berry jam, and the caramel cone pieces.

Pop the loaded pizza back into the oven, just long enough to warm through, and if you're using marshmallows, leave the pizza in the oven long enough to toast the marshmallows.

Because the pizza is pre-sliced, serving is super easy and fun. Grab a slice and watch the marshmallow stretch and the chocolate ooze.

It's seriously so delicious and simple. The pizza crust acts like a fluffy and slightly crispy piece of bread and is a nice neutral element that balances out the super sweet toppings.

Plus, it's a gorgeous presentation.

Here's the quick pizza dough recipe page: