A little known fact: dessert is the most important meal of the day. Okay, dessert is certainly not the most nutritious for the body, but it feeds the soul after a long day of hiking, road tripping, or overall adventuring. Yet, more often than not, we skip dessert when outside - forgoing sweet deliciousness because it might be too much work.
We believe you should treat yourself after an outdoor adventure - so here are three easy dessert recipes you can whip up at camp, whether you're deep in the backcountry or glamping hard.
BACKPACKER PEACH COBBLER
Who says backpackers can't treat themselves? Freeze dried fruits make backpacking desserts easy without adding extra weight to your pack (and the healthy granola means you won't add extra weight anywhere else, either).
Ingredients:
3 cups Freeze dried peach slices
1 cup Granola
4 tbsp brown sugar
Dash of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
In a cooking pot, add peaches, sugar, and spices and top with 4oz water (you can add more water later if necessary). Simmer while stirring until the peaches absorb the water and sugar thickens. Remove pot from heat and top with granola and sprinkle brown sugar to taste. Serves two.
PIZZA COOKIE IN A PAN
Love chocolate chip cookies? Great. Because this one's a chocolate chip cookie the size of a pizza. Perfect for car camping by the fire or your utmost glamping treat-yo-self recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 stick butter (soft)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
In a large bowl, mix sugars, butter, and salt until butter is well mixed. Add vanilla and egg until mixture looks like a batter, then stir in flour and baking soda. When well mixed, add 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Add batter to a 10 in pan and scatter the remaining chips on top. Bake over the fire around 15 minutes, until cookie is golden brown with a slightly gooey center (depending on gooey preference). Let cool, enjoy warm. Top with ice cream (if glamping) or whipped cream if desired. Serves 6.
DUTCH OVEN STICKY BUNS
Got lots of sweet teeth to please at camp? That's just what Dutch Ovens were made for. Whip up these easy pull-apart rolls for a sweet dessert or simple breakfast for the whole family.
Ingredients:
2 canisters biscuit dough
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter
1/4 white sugar
1/4 brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Line Dutch Oven with tinfoil. Cover the bottom of the oven with chopped pecans. In a bowl, mix cinnamon and sugars. Cut each biscuit into four pieces, and roll each piece in the cinnamon sugar until coated, then place biscuits into the oven to cover the bottom. Melt butter in a pan over the fire, and pour over biscuits. Place oven on top of approximately 8 coals and top with 12-14 coals; cook for 30 minutes until golden brown. Use lid lifter to remove from coals and let cool slightly; serves 8.
No matter your adventure, with a few simple steps and a little preplanning you can enjoy a sweet treat as you rest your hiking feet. Skip dessert? Never again.
