Hi Lovies! Boy, have I got a treat for you today! And, I do mean treat, as in soft, chewy, chocolatey, peanut-buttery deliciousness. I am going to share with you my world-famous Candy Shop Pizza recipe. Okay, okay, so maybe not world famous but it is pretty darn famous amongst my friends and family and they are my world. So, yeah, Sherry’s-world-famous is a good description. I clipped the original version of this recipe from a magazine many moons ago. I still have the clipping but I have no idea what the magazine was so I cannot give any proper kudos. I have tinkered with proportions and ingredients throughout the years and made it my own. This is kind of a cookie, kind of a dessert pizza, and kind of a candy all in one. We have used it as a substitute for birthday cake many times. It is one of my boys’ very favorite treats and, I gotta admit, it is also one of mine. No matter where I take this dish I am asked for the recipe. I willingly share, with the added comment that you can personalize this dessert to your own liking so easily. The sky is definitely the limit with this one. I have a standard combination of ingredients that I use because we all love it so much but, seriously folks, you could make so many variations of this.
I have been itching to share this gem with you but waited until just the right time. And, that time is now – after Halloween. Because, you see, this recipe is a wonderful way to get rid of your leftover Halloween candy, or any leftover candies. Or, you can just go buy what you need to make it any dang time you want. That’s what I do. I mean, if I have to buy a fun size package or 6 of little candy bars to make one of my family’s favorites, I don’t mind at all. Aaaannnddd, if there happens to be any of those little bars left that need to be used up, well then, I will certainly volunteer my services. Unless, they too nougaty or have coconut. Then, I won’t be munching on them. Funny thing, I hardly ever have those kinds of candy in the house. Wonder why. Oh well, it’s a mystery.
So, this treat starts off with store-bought cookie dough. I always use chocolate chip, but you could easily use any other flavor. I do not recommend using your homemade cookie dough unless it is a cookie cake recipe or perhaps a rolled cookie recipe. The store-bought dough is nice and dense and holds up well to the toppings without crumbling. You want for the finished product to be eaten as a piece of pizza. Just pick it up and munch. No forks. What fun are forks? So, anyway, I use the store-bought Nestle Toll House cookie dough because it is my favorite. Now, for this post I am going to use the tub of cookie dough that fills a cookie sheet, but you can also get the roll for a regular pizza pan. When I first made this treat, I always used a pizza pan, but these days I usually make it on a cookie sheet so that we can feed more people. And, trust me, everyone will want to partake in this yumminess.
The “sauce” is made with a combination of melted semi-sweet chips and peanut butter. As I said, this recipe is really versatile. You could use any flavor of chips that you like and switch out the peanut butter with some other nut butter or spread. I have made a white version of this with sugar cookie crust and white chocolate chips mixed with the peanut butter.
The toppings are simply chopped candy. Any kind of candy that you enjoy will work as long as it can be chopped or is already bite size. I always attempt to have a variety of textures and flavors, although mostly chocolate because, well duh, I’m a chocoholic. I do like to add some white chocolate candy as well and always M&M’s because I like for the pizza to be colorful and pretty.
Start off by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and lining your cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. You can skip the parchment if you spray the pan with cooking spray. Chop your candy, except the M&M’s, into very small pieces. Place all of these in a large bowl, add the M&M’s and mix a bit. The amount of candy is dependant on your taste. For a cookie sheet sized pizza I normally have about 6 cups of chopped candy. And, if you are anything like me, you will need an extra cup to replace the candy pieces that you munch on during the chopping process. Don’t judge. Set this aside.
Scoop the cookie dough onto the pan and press it out as evenly as possible until the entire surface is covered. It helps tremendously to have a little bowl or cup of water to wet your fingers as you do this. The dough won’t stick to your hands as much.
Bake the dough crust for 12 – 15 minutes until just slightly browned around the edges and puffed up. Remove from the oven but don’t turn the heat off yet.
Sprinkle 1 ½ cups chocolate chips over the surface of the dough followed by dollops of peanut butter. I used 1 cup of peanut butter, but you can do this to taste. Place the pizza back in the oven for 3 minutes.
Remove and gently spread the now-melted chips and peanut butter over the surface. Swirl it around but don’t stir it too much. The brown and tan look so pretty swirled together. It is a shame that you cover it all up with candy – not. It is totally worth it.
Sprinkle the chopped candy all over the surface of the sauce. Gently press the candy into the sauce so that it will stay put when you slice the pizza.
Let the pizza sit on the counter for a couple of hours or place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes until the chocolate sets up. Hint, do not place it in the freezer. I have made this mistake before. For some reason, freezing it causes condensation to form on the candy during the thawing and the colors will run off of the M&M’s. The taste is the same, but it doesn’t look pretty anymore.
When the sauce has set you can cut the pizza into pieces and serve. Take this treat to your next family gathering or to potluck day at work. I guarantee that you will be asked to share the recipe.
Candy Shop Pizza
This is kind of a cookie, kind of a dessert pizza, and kind of a candy all in one.
Ingredients
- 18 oz. roll (for pizza pan) or 36 oz. tub (for cookie sheet) of store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 - 6 cups of assorted of chopped candies and M&M's
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 2 Coarsely chop the candies. Mix with M&M’s and set aside.
- Step 3 Line a cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.
- Step 4 Press the cookie dough evenly onto the prepared pan. Wetting your fingertips will help with this process.
- Step 5 Bake the cookie crust for 12 minutes.
- Step 6 Remove the cookie crust from the oven but leave the heat on.
- Step 7 Sprinkle the hot crust with chocolate chips and dollops of peanut butter.
- Step 8 Place the crust back in the oven for 3 minutes.
- Step 9 Remove from the oven and swirl the melted chocolate and peanut butter over the entire surface.
- Step 10 Sprinkle the candy over the top of the sauce.
- Step 11 Press down gently to push the candies into the sauce.
- Step 12 Allow the pizza to cool completely on the counter or place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Step 13 When the sauce has set, cut into pieces and serve.
