FOOD & COOKING

Campfire Dessert Recipes: Quick and Easy Goodies for the Sweet-Toothed Camper

Camping food
Written by Bradley Page

Food is an important part of our life and our taste bud makes it crucial to keep experimenting with recipes now and then. Whatever be the reason, let’s admit that we all have a sweet-tooth at some point of the day. We simply can’t resist thinking about the after dinner treat. So, the talk here is about campfire dessert recipes that are quick and easy.

Sometimes all you need is to run from the chaos of city life and find yourself a place amidst the perks of nature. People believe that they won’t get the comfort of a normal life while camping away from home. Certainly, there are things that you won’t be able to access, but the all over experience will be pleasing enough to force you into this rejuvenating activity again and again.

See also: Homemade Trail Mix: Delicious DIY Treats to Get You Going on the Trail

For the right experience, all you need to do is equip yourself with the right equipment and tricks. Even the food out there can be interesting if you know some great recipes.

From the aspect of health, when you are camping in the cold regions, you will need more and more snacks and some quick desserts will serve the purpose rightfully. So, before you head out for camping in the wild, we recommend you to learn a few dessert recipes. We have collected some of the insanely easy, quick, and cheap dessert recipes that will make your day.

Even when you are stuck amidst the woods and don’t see any hope around, these recipes are something that will keep you happy even in the worst weather. So, let’s start with some of the mouth watering dessert recipes:

1. Campfire tarts

Look into your bag for some leftover biscuits, whipped cream, and tart mold. So, your main ingredients will be:

Ingredients

  • Biscuits
  • Whipped Cream
  • Tart Mould

You need to add some water to the biscuits and create dough. Wrap this dough around the mould, adjusting the mould in a stick that you can hold without getting your hands burnt. Keep the mould on an open flame, rotating it from side to side, till the texture turns into golden brown.

Approximately 1 to 2 minutes will be enough to make the tart golden brown. Once you get the texture required, take it out of the mold slowly. Mostly the tart will glide off itself, so you won’t have to do much of work. Fill the tart with one of your favorite flavors of whipped cream and top it up with some sliced fruits.

In case, you are not left with pie fillings or creams; you can quickly mash some fresh fruit and use it in the tart. Banana, mango, or find any of the fruit that can be quickly mashed to fill the tart.

As a replacement to the tart mould, you can use the steel glasses or anything that can act like a mould without burning and melting down. Different sizes can be experimented with this recipe. You won’t even need any additional sugar to make this dessert sweet as it already holds the sweetness of cookies and fruits.

2. Baked apples

This is going to be a super easy recipe with ingredients that can be accessed without any hassle. For those who are camping in cold reasons, you can easily find a handful of apples in the surrounding. If not, you can look for some apples left in your food bag. So, once you have the apples, we can guarantee you a hot, mouth smacking desserts for a couple of days without getting bored.

Ingredients

  • Apples
  • For filling: Caramel, grounded nuts, chocolates, or cream.
  • Flame to bake
  • Foil to wrap the apple

Scoop the apples, taking out the core of it and leave the base intact for the filling. Fill the apple with ingredients of your choice like caramel, grounded nuts, chocolates or cream. Wrap the apples in foils separately and tuck it in the oozing coal. Remove the apples from the coal after 10 minutes, and there you have the perfectly baked apples to satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you are not able to find caramel and chocolates, dig for some ground nuts. A variety of nuts can be found in the wild; you just have to do a little bit of digging. And, for those who have forgotten to pack foils, a thick wrap of leaves around the apple will work.

In the absence of stove and good flame, you can just light a camp fire with some stones at the base and tuck the apples in the hot stones, when the fire goes off.  The taste will be equally delicious, just have a little patience and let the apples bake perfectly.

3. Grilled Shortcake Skewers

Even though grilled fruits are quite underrated, chances are that you will end up loving it. We recommend you to always pack some cakes while going for camping as they can be used to make a number of desserts.  So, here are the ingredients you will need:

Ingredients

  • Any cake
  • Fruits of your choice
  • Whipped creams if available
  • BBQ skewers

Cut the cakes and fruits into same sized cube and thread it onto the skewers. Place the cakes and fruits one after another and grill it over a medium to high heat. Keep turning it slowly so as to avoid burning a particular side of it. It will not take more than 6 to 8 minutes to get your fruits grilled. Once you start getting the sweet smell, serve it with some whipped cream.

If you lack creams, pick some banana, and whip it thoroughly making something sort of a cream. This recipe is just perfect for camping as you will need some cakes in your bag, the rest can be gathered from the wild. All sorts of fruits and berries can be used in this recipe and the result will be totally tantalizing.  Again you can use any metal to grill the fruits and cakes.

Even one of your forks can be extended with a wooden stick tied to the tips can be used as the stick. On-camp or off-camp, use this recipe for sure. This recipe is considered best when you are just left with few cakes and don’t want it to be finished yet. So, add in some fruits, and you can enjoy your cakes for a few more days.

Grill it and do tell us what you have to say about this recipe?

4. Fruit Salad

Fruit salad can’t be called an actual dessert, but it will surely satisfy your sweet tooth. The taste will turn out to be something sweet and sour and as spicier as you want it to be. Here is what you need:

Ingredients

  • Banana, apples, oranges, cherry, strawberries, kiwi, grapes, berries, and every fruit that you can gather
  • A pinch of salt
  • Vinegar or lemon

Chop your fruits vertically, horizontally, or in the cube shape, depending on what you feel like. Put it in a bowl, add some salt, a spoon of vinegar or just squeeze a lemon. Use a spoon to mix it well and then you can savor the food, just the way you want to. The best part is you can try a variety of fruits to make this delicious recipe.

5. Fruit Pies

Nothing can be better than hot pies served on a cold evening. Bread is the most suitable choice of food when it comes to packing for camps. So, we are sure you will easily get a few packs of bread inside your bag. Without much ado, let’s look into the ingredients you need:

Ingredients

  • Bread
  • Seasonal fruits ( Blueberries, apples, peach, cherries) or canned fillings
  • An iron toaster or any such instrument to make the sandwiches

Brush the insides of the sandwich iron with cooking oil; we are sure you have some in your bag.

Place a piece of bread on both sides of the sandwich mould and press the iron together, creating place for sliced fruits. Place a few tablespoons of seasonal fruit (sliced in thin pieces) on the bread and put the pie maker inside the burning coal or on a stove. Let it bake for at least 2-3 minutes from both the sides and then take it out to enjoy your meal.

You can serve it with other fruits if you want. The taste will depend majorly on the fruit you choose to fill in the bread. We recommend you to use berries or peaches, or apples if possible as they have slightly sweet and sour taste which will make your pie more enjoyable.

6. Banana Boat

Banana Boats might not be the prettiest recipe for you, but the mess inside is delicious enough to make you try this recipe again and again. It will take not more than 10 minutes to get this dessert ready, and you will get an appetizing recipe altogether. What you need is listed here:

Ingredients

  • Bananas
  • Marshmallows
  • Chocolate chips
  • Tin foil

Gather all the ingredients and light the camp fire. Slice the bananas length wise in the center and fill them with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap the banana with a tin foil and tuck in the hot coal for almost 5 minutes. Take it out of the coal and enjoy a delicious after meal treat.

You can either use spoons to eat the pulpy dessert or just eat them with wafers. If not left with marshmallows or chocolates, you can use biscuit crumbs, or berries for the filling.

7. Roasted Marshmallows

Easiest of the lot, roasted marshmallows is an all time favorite whether you are back at home or camping in the wild. The recipe will take not more than 3-4 minutes, and you will have a chewy and crunchy treat to eat at the end of the day. Ingredients used in the recipe are mentioned below:

Ingredients

  • Marshmallows
  • Roasting stick

Build a fire and poke the marshmallows in a roasting stick. Roast the poked marshmallows over hot coal by turning them side by side so as to avoid burning a particular side. If you are putting the marshmallows on fire, make sure you maintain a safe distance and don’t lower down the stick much.

Remove the marshmallows from fire when the color starts changing. That’s it your treat is ready to savor on.

8. Pineapple Cake

Start preparing this cake only if you have a Dutch oven or anything like that.  You can collect an iron dish and make a base of burning coal. This recipe comes with a little effort, but the result is truly overwhelming.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter
  • Pineapple
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • One cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • Vegetable oil
  • Water
  • Aluminum foil

Double line the Dutch oven or the tightly closed iron equipment with aluminum foil. Throw in some butter and let it melt by placing the oven on the camp stove. Once the butter completely melts down, you need to put in the brown sugar and stir it slowly till it starts melting.

Now place the pineapple ring on the thickly melted sugar creating a circle. Let the pineapples settle down, and till then start creating the cake batter using the eggs, oil, preserved pineapple water, and extra water if needed. Pour the batter over the pineapple rings evenly and cover the box with a lid. You need to place some hot coal chunks on the cover of the oven so as to bake the cake properly.

Bake the cake for at least 30 minutes with 20 briquettes up and down. After 30 minutes remove the lid and poke a knife in to see the cake is fully cooked. If the knife comes out without being sticky, let the cake cool down and then take it out of the oven. Remove the foil slowly, revealing the cake, and cut it down into pieces to serve.

Believe us; this is a recipe that will add more fun in your camping. Fire, oven, pineapple are things that can be easily made or found in the wild, you just need to save the cake batter from the food items to enjoy this delicacy again and again.

9. Orange fruity caps

Once again a quick and easy recipe with quick to find ingredients.

Ingredients

  • Whole oranges
  • Brownie mix
  • Caramel sauce
  • Nuts of your choice

Using a knife take out the pulp from the orange and create a hollow in 3 to 4 oranges. Prepare the brownie batter and pour it into the orange cups. You can add Choco chips and nuts depending on your choice. Roll the cups inside the aluminum foil, roll it in the fire, and take it out after 30-50 minutes. Unwrap the oranges and just dig into it with a spoon.

A variety of this dish can be tried, and you can experiment with already baked cakes, fruits, and nuts as the filling (Don’t bake for more than 5 minutes). Biscuits crumbs mixed with fruit slices can also be used for the filling.

10. Campfire apple crisps

Oven baked desserts are to be best enjoyed in the wild when you are camping. All you need is some basic ingredients that you would have packed for your expedition. The basic ingredients for this delicious recipe are mentioned below:

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp flour
  • ½ cup oats
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 apples
  • Nutmegs
  • Butter
  • Lemon

Start preparing the recipe by cutting the apples into 5-6 slices evenly. Mix the sugar, flour, oats, and spices and sprinkle it on the apple slices. Brush the oil on the foil and put the apples into it, spreading the entire mixture on the apple.

Take another piece of foil, apply the butter on it and cover the apples, sealing it from all the side. Now, you need to place this apple into the campfire, letting it bake for at least 15-20 minutes.

Take the packed apples out of the campfire and dig into it using a fork or spoon. You can also add a bit of caramel on the apples for extra flavor.

11. Layered cookies

Cookies are a must-have when you are preparing for camp. So, if you are planning to stay 2-3 days more and want to stock up the cookies, then here is a recipe you need to try. A few basic ingredients will be needed for this recipe, so, let’s have a look.

Ingredients

  • Cookies
  • Caramel
  • Marshmallows
  • Fruits of your choice

Roast the marshmallows over the campfire and then place the cookies, roasted marshmallows, caramel, and sliced fruits one after other.

In the end, top it with thinly sliced berries. The mix of caramel, fruits, marshmallows, and cookies will give you crunchy, juicy, and tangy test and the best part is the dessert will need just two cookies, and you can stay at the camp for 3-4 days more.

You can use all sorts of seasonal fruit to dash up your dish. Mangoes, pineapples, oranges, or cherries, you can try all sorts of seasonal fruits in your dish.

No time to cook? Do check out our top no-cook camping meals for more ideas and options.

Bottom Line

Above recipes are suitable for everyone who wants to have a fun laden camping experience. To try these recipes you don’t actually require any cooking skills and can try it with the least experience. As long as you have packed some basic ingredients and heavy duty foils, all these recipes can be tried.

For more backpacking food tips for your next trip, check out our earlier piece for information.

Featured Image Source: “Greek Blooger Camp Food” by Titanas is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bradley Page

With several decades of experience as a backpacker and outdoor adventurer, Bradley is an open encyclopedia when it comes to gear, clothes, and other items that matter on the trail. He tested hundreds of shoes, pants, jackets, and backpacks in his long career and is always up to date with the new appearances in the niche. His experience makes him one of the authority figures in backpacking and he can help anyone to get prepared for a great adventure!