Savory Blackberry Mint Pizza

Summer is winding down, and this recipe is calling your name!  This blackberry mint pizza with subtly sweet marscapone cheese, plump blackberries, and blackberry jam is perfect for brunch, a savory dessert, coffee or tea time.  A gorgeous mix of bread, cheese, fruit, and herbs, this pizza has all the ingredients of a romantic picnic without the picnic basket!

It’s easy enough to whip up.  The real challenge is waiting for it to cool off so you can cut it without making a mess of cheese and jam…

Because cheese and jam…

I waited. I did… Really…

Oh, who am I kidding?  So maybe I made 2 pizzas. 

One to be pretty and one to eat while I waited on the pretty one.

Warm blackberries and soft cheese…  Just this once, waiting and pretty might overrated.  I’ll let you be the judge.

Savory Blackberry Mint Pizza

• 8 oz Marscapone cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 oz blackberries
• Small jar blackberry jam (I like seeds for texture.)
• 1 medium-sized pre-prepared garlic and herbs, thin pizza crust
• 1 Tbsp mint leaves, thinly sliced
• Lemon zest
• Pizza Stone

Preheat oven with pizza stone in it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you don’t have a pizza stone, then you can use a pizza pan which does not have to be preheated. 

But let’s talk about the benefits of a good pizza stone for a minute.  First, a pizza stones bakes your pizza in a manner similar to a brick oven.  Because the stone is porous, it absorbs moisture from the crust resulting in a crispier, well-baked crust. 

Secondly, the stone evenly distributes the heat to your crust, making sure that your pizza is cooked evenly all the way around, not to mention faster than an aluminum pan. 

And lastly, clean up.  Who doesn’t love a quick clean up?  Food doesn’t stick to the stone, so it’s always easy to remove your pizza.  And a well-seasoned stone only requires warm soapy water to wipe it clean.  No scrubbing!  So a good pizza stone like this ASD Amazon pick is a great partner to have in the kitchen.  (It great for baking rolls and biscuits too!)

Fold the vanilla and salt into the marscapone.  I used my hand mixer for this.   But mixer users, be careful!  Make sure that your cheese it at room temperature before you start!  Marscapone curdles easily when you mix it.  If happens to begin to curdle, just use your high-speed blender (like an immersion blender) to bring it back together.  When it’s mixed, set aside.

Use the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer of blackberry jam onto your pre- prepared thin pizza crust.  I use a crust that has some garlic and herbs in it because if you have been around long, you know sweet and salty… that’s my thang.  And while the crust is savory, it is very mild and just adds that bit of zest to really round out the flavor. (If you are feeling ambitious and want to make your own dough, I recommend Ree Drummond’s pizza crust recipe.  It tastes pretty awesome and delivers every time.  Hahaa!  Delivers… and we’re talking about pizza… ok.  Whatever. You get the point.)

Next, use your spoon to spread on your cheese layer.  You should only use about half the cheese prepared.  That’s why I ended up making two pizzas, which ended up working out well for me since, you know, the waiting and the warm blackberries and… well, we don’t have to go back there.

Top with a handful of plump, gorgeous blackberries.

Sprinkle the mint over the top of the pizza.  (To slice my mint thin, I use a chiffonade cut.  Simply take 4-5 mint leaves.  Roll them tightly into a cigar shape.  Then start at one end of your “cigar” and begin thinly slicing.  This should give you thin ribbons of mint.  Make sure your knife is share to avoid bruising the leaves as you cut! This is a great technique for basil too and makes the perfect garnish for a multitude of dishes.)

Finish with a little lemon zest, and your are ready to transfer your blackberry mint pizza to your pizza stone in the oven. Bake 5-8 minutes.  Let cool COMPLETELY before slicing.

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Pin this Savory Blackberry Mint Pizza recipe here!

Interested in more blackberry recipes? Check out these ASD blackberry favorites!

To Grunt, To Cobble, To Bid Farewell to Summer

French-Toasted Blackberry Grilled Cheese 

Find this and a ton of other great Southern recipes on Meal Plan Monday!