8 Delicious S'mores & Camping Desserts

Reinvent the campfire favorite with our grown-up flavor combinations--plus get more inventive ideas for camping treats.


Peanut butter
Peanut butter


Chocolate and Peanut Butter S'mores

Anyone who's outgrown classic s'mores will love this version: gooey-sweet melted marshmallow tempered by bittersweet chocolate cookies and salty roasted peanuts. Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter (at room temperature, for easy spreading) onto a thin, crisp chocolate water (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers). Slide 1 skewer-toasted marshmallow onto peanut butter. Top with a second wafer and squish down gently. Eat, licking fingers.

Did you know you can make your own marshmallows?


Try Nutella
Try Nutella


Nutty Banana S'mores

Make these s'mores with graham crackers, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (or Nutella), sliced banana, and marshmallow.

Make your own graham crackers!


Strawberry
Strawberry


Strawberry and Chocolate S'mores

Take the classic campfire dessert up a notch by adding strawberry slices to Graham crackers, dark chocolate, and roasted marshmallow.


Ginger and caramel
Ginger and caramel


Ginger and Caramel S'mores

Give s'mores a kick with gingersnaps, a caramel-filled chocolate square, and marshmallow.


Chocolate and caramel
Chocolate and caramel


Caramel-drizzled S'mores

Fill peanut-butter cookies with bittersweet chocolate, caramel sauce, and marshmallow.


Nutella and banana
Nutella and banana


Nutella and Banana S'mores

For all-out indulgence, try peanut-butter cookies with Nutella, sliced banana, and marshmallow.


Peach cobbler
Peach cobbler


Dutch-Oven Peach Cobbler

The recipe for this easy dessert cleverly uses pancake mix to make the top of the cobbler.

Total time: 30 minutes


Ingredients
2 pounds frozen peaches, thawed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup Hearty Whole-Grain Pancake Mix or other pancake mix
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/8-in. pieces
1 large egg
Sweetened whipped cream

Preparation
1. Prepare fire as directed below. Mix peaches, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar in a 4- to 6-qt. cast-iron camp dutch oven.

2. Stir pancake mix, butter, egg, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a medium bowl to make a thick and chunky batter. Drop 4 evenly spaced heaping spoonfuls over peaches. Cover.

3. Arrange coals for top and bottom heat cooking and cook, checking every 10 minutes, until batter is puffed, firm, and starting to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve portions with whipped cream.


How to Use a Dutch Oven

1. Prepare the fire. If you have a campfire going, move any large pieces of still-burning wood to the side and level out your hot coals to fit the size of the dutch oven. If the campground doesn't allow wood fires, burn 50 charcoal briquets till they're mostly gray, 10 to 15 minutes, and spread into an even layer the size of the dutch oven.

2. Set up the oven. For many recipes, you just set the dutch oven on top of the hot coals ("bottom heat cooking"). But there are times when you'll need to heat both the top and bottom of the oven. Just scrape about half the coals to the side and arrange the rest in a circle the size of the dutch oven's outer edge. Set the oven on top of the circle of coals, then pile the rest of the coals on top of the lid.

3. Start cooking. Lift the dutch-oven lid occasionally to check the food and temperature. To decrease the heat, scrape away some fuel. To increase the heat, or to cook longer than 45 minutes, add 6 to 10 new briquets or more wood embers (from that still-burning wood you moved to the side of your firepit) every 30 minutes.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.


Nutritional Information
Amount per serving

Calories: 380
Calories from fat: 21%
Protein: 4.8g
Fat: 9g
Saturated fat: 5.3g
Carbohydrate: 73g
Fiber: 4.2g
Sodium: 286mg
Cholesterol: 57mg

More on Dutch oven cooking


Upside-down cake
Upside-down cake


Coconut and Fresh Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This moist, coconut-scented upside-down cake is made made with fresh pineapple.

Yield: Serves 8
Total : 1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Ingredients
CAKE
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cream of coconut
2 large eggs

TOPPING
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups 1/2-in. fresh pineapple chunks

Preparation

1. Make cake batter: Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then whisk in remaining ingredients until blended.

2. Prepare a fire for top and bottom dutch-oven cooking (see "How to Use a Dutch Oven", below), but using only 40 briquets. Line a 4-qt. cast-iron camp dutch oven with foil so it comes up the sides to the top.

3. Make topping: Melt butter in dutch oven, rotating to coat sides. Sprinkle sugar on bottom of pan, then scatter pineapple on top. Gently spread batter over pineapple, cover, and arrange coals on top of pot.

4. Cook cake, rotating pan every 5 minutes and pushing top coals together as they burn down, until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out with no white dough sticking to it, about 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Lift cake from pan using foil. Invert onto a plate and gently peel off foil, replacing any pineapple that sticks to it.


How to Use a Dutch Oven

1. Prepare the fire. If you have a campfire going, move any large pieces of still-burning wood to the side and level out your hot coals to fit the size of the dutch oven. If the campground doesn't allow wood fires, burn 50 charcoal briquets till they're mostly gray, 10 to 15 minutes, and spread into an even layer the size of the dutch oven.

2. Set up the oven. For many recipes, you just set the dutch oven on top of the hot coals ("bottom heat cooking"). But there are times when you'll need to heat both the top and bottom of the oven. Just scrape about half the coals to the side and arrange the rest in a circle the size of the dutch oven's outer edge. Set the oven on top of the circle of coals, then pile the rest of the coals on top of the lid.

3. Start cooking. Lift the dutch-oven lid occasionally to check the food and temperature. To decrease the heat, scrape away some fuel. To increase the heat, or to cook longer than 45 minutes, add 6 to 10 new briquets or more wood embers (from that still-burning wood you moved to the side of your firepit) every 30 minutes.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 401
Calories from fat: 51%
Protein: 4.4g
Fat: 23g
Saturated fat: 11g
Carbohydrate: 47g
Fiber: 1.7g
Sodium: 231mg
Cholesterol: 66mg


Dessert--check! Now prepare to make yourself a hot breakfast on the campfire the next morning. And just because you tired yourself out hiking doesn't mean you can't have a campfire-cooked gourmet dinner at the end of the day--it's easier than you might think. But if you really aren't up for it, here are some simpler recipes that will give you more time to roast marshmallows.