Are you bone tired of serving your family s’mores, roasted marshmallows and banana boats for dessert each time you go camping? I can’t say that I blame you. Even though they taste great, sometimes you just have to switch things up a bit for your own sanity. With that said, here are a few desserts that you may want to try on your next camping trip:
1. Funnel Cakes
Funnel cakes are not that hard to make. You can pick up a box of funnel cake mix for as little as $4. Once you have the batter made you’ll need some vegetable oil, a funnel, tongs and a deep cast iron skillet. Put a layer of oil in the skillet and place the skillet onto the fire. Whatever you do, do not use a shallow skillet or over fill a deep one. Otherwise the oil could make contact with the fire and you could end up burning down your campsite and the whole forest. Once the oil gets hot, pour the batter through the funnel and into the skillet in a spiral pattern. Flip the funnel cake over to brown the other side and then remove it from the fire. Add your family’s favorite toppings and serve.
2. Baked Apples
In order to make this dish you’ll need apples, butter, raisins, mulled apple cider and a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Slice off the tops of the apples and set them aside. Proceed by coring the apples without breaking through the bottoms. Stuff the center of each apple with your spice mixture and some raisins. Place the apples inside a tin foil pan and fill the pan half way up with mulled apple cider. Place a dab of butter on top of each apple and then cap them off with the tops you removed earlier. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it onto the camp fire. Let is cook for about 30 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove the pan from the fire and then serve.
3. Grilled Fruit
Just about every type of fruit available can be grilled, even the smaller fruits like strawberries. You can grill the fruit in three different ways. Some folks make fruit kebobs and others like to coat the fruit with melted butter and then place it directly on the grill. The softer fruits like strawberries and bananas are best grilled in tin foil packets. If you opt to use the foil packets you can also cook the fruits in juices or add other items like chocolate chips, marshmallows and sugar. The grilled fruits can be eaten alone. Personally, I like to pair mine with vanilla yogurt, Belgium waffles or pound cake. You might even want to consider toasting the waffles or pound cake over the fire.
4. Toasted Candied Nuts
Whipping up a batch of toasted candied nuts can serve two purposes. You can eat it for dessert and add some to your trail mix. In order to make the roasted candied nuts you’ll need cinnamon, brown sugar, water, chopped nuts and sea salt. Some folks may opt to use other seasonings like chipotle powder or rosemary. Combine the ingredients and then place the mixture inside a tin foil packet. Place the tin foil packet onto the fire and let it roast for roughly 30 minutes. Before you serve the nuts, be sure to stir them around a bit just to ensure that every piece has been liberally coated with the sugar, cinnamon and salt.
5. Yogurt and Granola
If you have access to a cooler full of ice or a refrigerator in your recreational vehicle, you may want to serve yogurt and granola as a dessert. If not, you can always substitute the yogurt with snack size, pre-made pudding.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys camping with her family and has traveled extensively.
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