5 Great Camping Dessert Recipes

There are few more enjoyable parts of a camping trip than sitting around in the warmth of the fire after the sun has gone down, laughing and snacking on a sweet treat with your friends. Of course s'mores are the quintessential camp dessert, but if you're avid camper there's a good chance that you've already consumed enough marshmallows and graham crackers to last you a lifetime. Here are a few delicious campfire desserts to add a little culinary variety to your next camping trip:

1. ROASTED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE

This super-simple dessert is a great way to add a little fruit to your camping diet. But just in case you were worried it's too healthy to be delicious, you can rest assured that the chocolate in this easy recipe will delight your tastebuds. Add spiced rum, brandy, or whiskey for the 'adult version' with a slightly more complex flavor. It'll take about twenty minutes total, and is scalable for groups of any size.
What you'll need:

• Ripe pears (1 per camper)
• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Aluminum foil
• Spiced rum, brandy or whisky (½ jigger per pear, optional)

What to do:

1. Rinse each pear. Halve each pear top to bottom, then scoop out the core.
2. Fill the cavity at the center of each pear with chocolate chips.
3. Place each pear half at the center of sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap it. If you've opted for the 'adult version,' measure a ½ jigger of your liquor of choice and pour it over the chocolate chips already in the pear.
4. Finish wrapping the pear halves, then throw them on the campfire for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from the fire carefully, allow to cool for a few minute, then serve with a spoon (They can get pretty messy!).

2. COFFEE CAN ICE CREAM

Though it may not be ideal for camping during cooler weather, this sweet, creamy dessert is perfect for warm summer nights. Kids will love helping you make this great homemade ice cream almost as much as they'll love eating it, and since there's no actual cooking involved, this recipe only takes about fifteen minutes.

What you'll need:

• Duct tape
• 1 1 lb. coffee can with lid (emptied and rinsed)
• 1 3 lb. coffee can with lid (emptied and rinsed)
• 1 pt. half and half
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• crushed ice

What to do:

1. Put all the ingredients except ice into the 1 lb. coffee can and mix well. Cover with lid, then secure the lid with duct tape.
2. Place the 1 lb. coffee, sealed with duct tape, inside the 3 lb. coffee can. Fill the remaining space inside the 3 lb. can with ice (from the cooler is fine, since it won't be coming in contact with the ice cream) and salt, adding them in alternating layers. Cover with lid, then secure this lid with duct tape as well.
3. Roll the can back and forth on its side for about ten minutes. (If you've got kids along, they can perform this step.)
4. Sit the cans upright and take off both lids to check consistency. If you're satisfied with the consistency, you're done! If the ice cream isn't firm enough, add a little more ice to the larger can, reseal both, and roll for another eight minutes or so.
5. When you're satisfied with the consistency, remove the ice cream from the smaller can and serve in bowls. Alternatively, you can rinse the outside of the can before removing the lid and eat directly from it.

3. CAMPFIRE DONUTS AND HOLES

Who doesn't love donuts? With the help of canned biscuits, you can have fresh, hot donuts out on the trail without a ton of work. Make a pot of coffee to accompany them, and these easy donuts can make a decadent campfire dessert or breakfast.
What you'll need:

• 1 can buttermilk biscuits
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 paper grocery bag

What to do:

1. Pour vegetable oil into a cooking pot until a depth of two inches, and begin heating.
2. Open biscuits, separate them on a cutting board, and cut a hole from the center of each.
3. Lay the biscuits in an even layer in the oil, which should now be thoroughly heated, and fry until golden. Flip, and fry until the alternate side is likewise golden.
4. When thoroughly cooked, remove donuts and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
5. While the donuts are draining, fry the holes in the same way. They'll require a little less cook time, so check them more frequently. Drain when finished.
6. Place sugar and cinnamon in the paper bag along with drained donuts and holes. Shake to coat them with the cinnamon and sugar.
7. Serve with a fresh pot of coffee.
8. So if you're one of the many campers that need a break from the s'more, bring one of these recipes along on your next excursion. You and your fellow campers will be glad you did!

4. GRILLED SHORTCAKE

This is an easy, delicious, and unique dessert that is a welcome inclusion to any camping experience. It is sweet, it is savory, and it is fun to make.

You will need:

• 1 Cubed Shortcake of Your Choice Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Whipped Cream (optional)

Cut the pineapple, strawberries, and the shortcake so they are all equal sized pieces. Each one should be about half a mouthful, or so. For the shortcake, you can make or buy any type that you might like. Coconut shortcake goes really well the strawberries and pineapple. Take a skewer and line it in alternating order. Grill these over a medium sized fire until the fruit becomes soft and the shortcake is nicely grilled. Serve with whipped cream if you are able to bring it along.

5. ORANGE PEEL CUPCAKES

This recipe makes delicious Cupcakes that are very versatile and can be mostly made in advanced. The only thing you need to bring, as far as pans go, is a muffin tin which should pack up easy enough.

• 1 Cupcake or Muffin mix
• Oranges
• Anything you want (optional)

Really, this recipe is versatile. If you want to add chocolate and peanut butter chips to the cupcake then all you have to do is bring the chips with you. When you make the cupcake or muffin mix in advanced, place it in a ziplock bag and put that in a storage container to ensure it doesn't leak out. Then, when you're ready to go, give it a good mix and set aside.
Next we need to get the orange peels ready. One good thing about this process is that you get to eat the oranges! Cut the oranges in half and take out the delicious fruit. Eat them, pass them around, put them in a drink. Whatever you want. Now, in the muffin tin, fill each muffin spot with an orange peel. Then fill the orange peel with the muffin mix. If you want to add extra things like other fruit, nuts, chocolate, and so forth do it now. Once they are full put the muffin tin over a good sized fire. If you don't have a good size fire and only coals, then cover top of the muffin tin in foil and place in the coals. Leave them in for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!