“Spider Web” Dessert Pizza

“Spider Web” Dessert Pizza! Looking for a sweet, spooky snack with a little less sugar? This creepy-crawly dessert is honey-sweetened & topped with fresh blackberries for a treat without the sugar rush!

Confession: I went through a few party pooper years of wanting nothing to do with Halloween. I used to love it as a kid, and even had fun with it in my 20’s, but my 30’s ushered in an era of wanting to push the “fast forward” button on all things ghoulish.

Now that I’m the mom to an almost 4-year-old little boy, I’m back to my festive ways for any and all holidays, so Halloween is back on the radar.

For the first time in years, I’m pulling out decorations and getting a little more into the “spirit”, so to speak, and it’s fun seeing my little one get excited about all the things that come with preparing for each holiday.

That being said, he’s also entered the age of being easily frightened by spooky things. {We learned this the hard way as we walked through a big box store that was decked out in all its gruesome glory.}

To top it all off, he’s now very into the concept of trick-or-treating since he knows there’s candy involved and it’s going to be WAY more difficult to make the sugary haul magically disappear without any questions this year. {Although, we’ve already discussed The Switch Witch and plan on using this strategy to make parting with the goodies a little easier.}

Anyway, I’m not “anti-fun” and definitely not “anti-treat”, but I do like the idea of keeping goodies in moderation around this time of year when it’s hard not to be bombarded by sugary things everywhere you turn.

Luckily, a little creativity is all it takes to turn healthier snacks into festive ones so that no one is missing out on the excitement of the season! My “Spider Web” Blackberry Dessert Pizza is one way to infuse some Halloween fun into snack time or even special gatherings.

The oatmeal cookie base of this “pizza” is made with fairly wholesome ingredients and is sweetened with honey instead of cane sugar since chances are there will be plenty of that filling the kiddos’ jack-o-lantern baskets very soon.

Baked in a round cake pan, it makes the perfect canvas for spreading a devilishly dark, naturally sweet Blackberry Chia Jam that serves as the background for a just-eerie-enough spider web, piped with your favorite Greek yogurt.

The “spiders” that inhabit this web are ones you’ll want to bite — they’re plump and juicy blackberries decorated to resemble spine-tingling creepy-crawlers.

Though this recipe is composed of several individual elements, it’s quite easy to put together, and is a great activity for little hands to help with! I made my spider “legs” with a few toothpicks, but you can also use frosting or licorice strings — get creative!

“Spider Web” Blackberry Dessert Pizza

“Spider Web” Blackberry Dessert Pizza! Looking for a sweet, spooky snack with a little less sugar? This creepy-crawly dessert is honey-sweetened & topped with fresh blackberries for a treat without the sugar rush!

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Course Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Author Dianna Muscari

Ingredients  

For Cookie Base

• 8 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup oats

For Blackberry Jam

• 1 cup blackberries
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water

For “Web” Drizzle

• 3 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt

For "Spiders"

• 2 blackberries cut in half
• Red or green nonpareils {optional}
• Toothpicks or licorice strings

Instructions 

• Make the cookie base: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch round cake pan by lining with parchment paper cut into a circle or spraying with non-stick cooking spray. {I lightly brushed mine with melted coconut oil.}
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together butter, honey and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Stop the mixer and add in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats. Beat until everything is well-combined, but try not to over-mix.
• Spread the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top as evenly as possible. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Make Blackberry Jam: Meanwhile, combine the blackberries, water and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer until the berries have softened, stirring often. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the berries to allow them to release their juices. Simmer for another 2 minutes or so, then add in the chia seeds and stir for about another minute. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the mixture has thickened a bit. {When you run a spatula along the bottom it should leave a trail for a second. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it still seems a little runny.} Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken.
• Scoop the Greek yogurt for the web drizzle into a small piping bag or a zip top bag with one corner snipped. Set aside.
• Assemble Pizza: Spread the blackberry jam evenly over the cookie base. Pipe the spider web using the yogurt. {I start by piping a large cross, then an “X” creating 8 spokes that meet in the center, then I pipe curved lines inside each “slice” to create the web.
• Finally, using your sliced blackberries, create the “spiders” scattered on the web. Gently push 2 nonpareils into the head portion of the spiders to create eyes. Gently poke toothpicks or licorice into the blackberry to create legs. Serve immediately.