For kids, the most anticipated camping meal is dessert, of course. Encourage the young ones in your camping party to experiment and create their versions of the following sweet treats. We’ve broken down the recipe directions to show where kids can control the dessert making process and where adult helpers need to steer for safety reasons. Mmm, there’s nothing tastier than melted chocolate chips and gooey marshmallows!
1. Cinnamon Toast
Single serving
Ingredients:
- Sliced bread or hamburger buns with the crust cut off
- 1 pat of butter
- ¼ tablespoon sugar
- ¼ tablespoon cinnamon
Directions:
Kids:
- Butter both sides of a slice of bread or bun half.
Adult helper:
- Place buttered bread in a frying pan on a camp stove or on a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill. Grill both sides of the bread until they are golden brown.
Kids:
- Sprinkle one side of the bread with sugar and cinnamon. Eat while warm.
2. Dirt and Worm Covered Mud
5-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 package of Oreo cookies
- 2 3.9 ounce packages of chocolate Jell-o instant pudding mix
- 4 cups of milk
- 1 package of gummy worms
- Hershey’s Syrup (optional)
Directions:
Kids:
- Put half of the Oreo cookies into a gallon Ziploc storage bag. Crush the cookies with a flat surface like the bottom of a small pot or pan or a metal mixing bowl. A rolling pin works well if you have one with you.
- Distribute the cookie crumbs “dirt” to line the bottom of 5 to 6 camp cups or disposable cups. With the back of a spoon, press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the cup. Add a little of the optional Hershey’s Syrup to the crumbs to help strengthen the cookie crust.
- Follow the Jell-o pudding mix directions. You will need a whisk and large mixing bowl, or prepare the pudding in two batches in a medium-sized bowl.
- Split the pudding between the cups. Crush the remaining Oreo cookies and sprinkle them on top of the pudding. Top the dirt with two to three gummy worms.
3. Sweet Apple Packet
1-2 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 apple sliced
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pat of butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- A hand full of trail mix or your favorite nuts
- Dried berries or raisins (optional)
Directions:
Adult helper:
- Slice an apple. Pull off a length of aluminum foil to fully encase the sliced apple pieces.
Kids:
- Add the brown sugar, butter pieces, cinnamon, trail mix or nuts, optional berries or raisins to the apple slices on the aluminum foil. Wrap the foil over the apple mixture.
Adult helper:
- Put the apple packet directly on the grill or inside a frying pan on a camp stove. Heat the packet for 15 minutes. Watch out for steam when opening the packet.
4. Banana Boat
Single Serving
Ingredients:
- Banana
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate bar or chocolate chips
- Additional topping ideas: nuts, crushed cookies, fresh berries, ice cream syrups, jam, jelly, Nutella, peanut butter
Directions:
Adult helper:
- Peel the banana along the inside curve of the fruit while leaving the remaining peel on the fruit. Slice the banana lengthwise without cutting all of the way through.
Kids:
- Have fun stuffing the banana! Start with a syrup, flavored spread or chocolate chips, then insert marshmallows and your other favorite toppings. Wrap the banana in a length of aluminum foil that covers all of the fruit.
Adult helper:
- Put the foil-covered banana directly on the grill, or inside a frying pan on a camp stove. Heat the packet for 5 minutes. Watch out for steam when opening the packet.
5. Campfire Cones
Single Serving
Ingredients:
Waffle cone
Marshmallows
Chocolate bar or chips
Additional topping ideas: nuts, maraschino cherries, butterscotch chips, sprinkles, candies, whip cream
Instructions:
Kids:
- Stuff a waffle cone with a mixture of chocolate chips and full-sized marshmallows. Add other fun toppings inside the cone. Fully wrap the cone inside a length of aluminum foil.
Adult helper:
- Put the foil-covered cone directly on the grill, or inside a frying pan on a camp stove. Heat the packet for 5 minutes. Watch out for steam when opening the packet.
Eva Barrows is an accomplished San Francisco Peninsula freelance writer and editor. She writes for regional magazines like PUNCH and Edible Silicon Valley and is editor-in-chief of Live&ThriveCA magazine. She founded the online literary journal Imitation Fruit in 2007 and has enjoyed promoting fellow writers and artists ever since. Read more of her travel writing at www.evabarrows.com.
