Taking Camping Desserts To The Next Level
Camping: The ethereal essence of our natural world is such a draw. You pack up everything you need, hit the road for a few days and it’s always just as fulfilling as you expected.
There’s only one thing missing from this beautiful recipe--camping desserts.
Surviving camping with a sweet tooth isn’t easy. Mother nature is a fine hostess but a terrible baker. It’s time to get real and take camping desserts into your own hands.
With a can-do attitude and your Solavore Sport solar oven you can, as they say, have your cake and eat it too.
Baking with the Sport is not unlike other ovens, you are still going to wait for it to preheat, but when it’s time to cook, the sun takes it from there.
You know that fantastic, second day flavor you get after all the ingredients fuse together?
With the Sport’s slow-cooking nature you get this delicious result on the first day with your camping desserts. If you’re one for instant gratification then you’re in the right place.
If this is you, the person who struggles to balance your sweet tooth against a love for the outdoors, check out this compilation of delectable camping desserts so, when the time comes, you know exactly what to make to satisfy that gnarly sweet tooth.
Mango Montana Campsite Banana Bread
If you've ever wanted to be in two places at once, this is the dish that will take you there. Every bite of this moist, fruity treat will leave you with musings ranging from the pine studded mountains of Montana to the warm, sunny fiestas of Latin America.
Makes two solar oven pots or one large loaf pan.
Ingredients
60 ml or ½ cup butter or coconut oil
60 ml or ½ cup sugar
1 egg
2.5 ml or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1-½ large ripe bananas (or 2 small bananas)
1 ripe mango
250 ml or 2 cups flour
7.5 ml or 1 Tbs baking powder
1-¼ tsp salt
1.25 ml or ½ tsp cinnamon
Directions
In a small bowl: combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. In second bowl puree (or mash) the bananas and mangos. In large bowl, cream butter or coconut oil with sugar. Add egg, mix well. Add vanilla, mix well. Add fruit and mix well.
Add 1/3 dry ingredients to wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time. Mix well after each addition.
Divide batter into two parts and pour into greased and floured solar oven pots or covered loaf pan. Spread across entire bottom until batter touches sides. Put lids on pots. Put pots in solar oven and bake for approximately 1.5 hours. Bread is done when dough comes away from sides of pot.
Bananas Foster
Is your camping trip as sweet as this bananas foster? Probably not...but it could be! Nothing puts a smooth finish on your day quite like the warm, creamy texture of baked bananas coated with a brown sugar marmalade.
Ingredients
6 ripe bananas, sliced into 1 inch pieces
4 T. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1t. vanilla
¼ c rum
½ t. ground cinnamon
¼ c chopped toasted walnuts
¼ c flaked coconut
vanilla ice cream or pound cake for serving
Directions
Mix together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla,rum and cinnamon. Add the bananas and stir to coat. Place in the Sport and cook until heated through – about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Add the walnuts and coconut. Stir the mixture briefly and serve over vanilla ice cream or a slice of pound cake. It’s really as easy as that! Enjoy!
Sun-fired Peach Crisp
This traditional peach crisp recipe was adapted for solar cooking from allrecipes.com. It is delicious served warm and topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Just as camping has a great combination of grit and relaxation, tension and release, this dish artfully combines the textures of crunchy and smooth to give your mouth the camping dessert experience its been craving.
Ingredients
4 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
Place Solavore Sport in the sun to preheat.
Arrange peaches evenly in an 8x8-inch baking dish.
Directions
Mix flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl using a pastry cutter until evenly crumbled. Fold oats into flour mixture; sprinkle and press topping into peaches.
Bake this in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, approximately 2 hours. Using the reflectors will speed things up and give a nice browning. As always when cooking uncovered camping desserts dishes, the condensation may build up on the lid. Just wipe it down periodically (once an hour) with a soft terry cloth.
'The Great Pumpkin' Cheesecake Cookies
This recipe was adapted for solar baking from one found on www.centercutcook.com. These are unique cookies, very much like eating a bite-sized pumpkin cheesecake. You won't usually find pumpkins in the great outdoors, unless you're adventuring in some wide open fields somewhere, so make sure you bring a little great pumpkin with you with these bite sized delectables. Don't skip the graham cracker crust coating, it really creates a nice crust on the outside of the cookie. And just like cheesecake, these are best eaten chilled or at room temperature.
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (for rolling the cookies)
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Directions
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese, butter, and pumpkin until completely smooth. Add in the sugar and vanilla and stir until combined. Add the flour, 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Carefully mix until it is completely mixed and smooth. Scoop into balls and roll in the remaining graham cracker crumbs (with the pumpkin pie spice mixed in if desired). Place on the tray and press on the balls with your hand to flatten them out slightly.
Bake each sheet in the Solavore Sport for 20-25 minutes. These cookies do not brown, but they are done when they have a firm consistency. Let the cookies cool and store them in the refrigerator.
Fallen off the wagon Chocolate Cake
Nothing screams camping desserts quite like devilishly good, "I am treating myself" chocolate cake. Just in time for your "let loose" camping excursion, this cake will have your diet falling off the wagon while you're falling off the grid. As it rises, a crispy crust forms on top, then it falls and the results are delicious. We use the solar oven to melt our chocolate as well as to bake the cake. Adapted for solar cooking from Bon Appetit.
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided, plus more for pan
10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%–72% cacao), coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 large eggs
2 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Place solar oven in the sun to preheat. Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess.
Combine chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter in your graniteware pot. Place covered pot in the Solavore Sport until all ingredients are beginning to melt (about 10 minutes). Remove from the oven and stir slowly until ingredients are combined and chocolate is thoroughly melted.
Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.
Bake in the solar oven until top is starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan. Ours baked for 1.5 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).
Remove from springform pan and dust with powdered sugar if you choose to. This cake is delicious served with ice cream or whipped cream.
Pecan Snowball Cookies
These classic holiday cookies do great in a solar oven and are welcome any time of the year. We had to include these on our top camping desserts menu. If you're having some post Christmas, dead winter blues this is a great way to give yourself a little pick-me-up.
Winter camping has a list of challenges all its own, check out our post here if you need some refreshers on the essentials.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup powdered sugar (plus more for coating)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups finely chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat your Solavore Sport and line a cookie sheet that fits in the oven with parchment or silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) cream your butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and salt and mix well. Slowly add the flour, mixing well after each addition. A thick dough will form. Add the chopped pecans and mix well.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough out and roll it into a ball and place it on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough has been formed into balls. Place them on the cookie sheet about 1 inch part.
Bake for approximately 1 hour. Your cookies will not brown, but they will be done as long as you've had oven temps over 225 degrees.
Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes then gently roll them in powdered sugar while still warm. Allow them to cool completely and then coat them in powdered sugar again.
Solar Cooker Applesauce
This is a kid friendly set-it-and-forget-it recipe. When you have the kids out camping they are already out of their element--so you may as well help them ease the tension with something they're used to. Let your apples cook all day and you'll have a fantastic fresh tasting snack or a side dish to serve with pork chops.
Ingredients
6 large apples, any variety (approximately 3 pounds)
2 cinnamon sticks, optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Peel the apples with the vegetable peeler, then cut them into quarters and slice out the cores. Roughly chop apples into 1- to 2-inch pieces, depending on how chunky you prefer your applesauce.
Combine all ingredients in your Graniteware pot. Place the covered pot in your preheated Solavore Sport.
You can let this slow cook all day long, 6 hours minimum, without reflectors.
The apples are ready when they can be easily mashed with a fork. Ours became applesauce with just a few gentle stirs.
Solavore Camping Desserts Best Brownies
We are confident in calling these Solavore's BEST brownies. Camping is all about keeping it simple and these brownies fit well within that framework. With just eight ingredients, they go together in a snap and the results are consistently good. You'll need about an hour of sun for these to bake.
Ingredients
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
Directions
Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well. Next, mix the dry ingredients in a second larger bowl. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined.
Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Sprinkle with pecan slices if desired. Bake in your preheated solar oven until somewhat firm to the touch. Approximate cook time is 1 hour. This recipe is very forgiving, so don't worry if you leave it for longer.
Zucchini Bread
Quick breads are great in the solar oven, most recipes just need a longer baking time and come out incredibly moist. If your campsite has a lot of mouths to feed this is a great dish because with the right pans, you can bake two loaves at once and feed the masses. 12 x 4 inch loaf pans from Ikea fit perfectly in the Solavore Sport and bake faster than a traditional loaf pan.
Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
Directions
Preheat solar oven by placing in the sun. Grease and flour two loaf pans, making sure you have two loaf pans that will fit in the oven together. See note above.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, and/or raisins if using. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans. Place in Solavore Sport and bake loaves for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Your zucchini bread is done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Pineapple Turn Your Frown Upside Down Cake
This recipe was originally from Inspiredtaste.net. It's just another wonderful example of how you don't need special recipes for baking in the solar oven. The only change we made was cooking in a covered pot and a giving it a longer baking time. The cake comes out incredibly moist and was a huge hit.
Ingredients
12 tablespoons (170 grams or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime or lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces (225 grams) fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (about 1/4 pineapple)
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour (we use unbleached Gold Medal all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup (125 grams) sour cream, or plain yogurt
Directions
Place your Solavore Sport in the sun to preheat.
Prepare Topping: Using the back of a spoon, spread 4 tablespoons of the butter over the bottom of your Graniteware pot. Scatter the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over butter. Arrange the pineapple wedges in one even layer over the butter and sugar.
Make Batter: In a large bowl, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter, granulated sugar and lime (or lemon) zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then mix in the baking powder and salt.
Mix in a third of the flour mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain then mix in the remaining flour. Add the egg whites and sour cream (or yogurt) and mix just until smooth.
Spoon cake batter on top of the pineapple then use a spatula to spread into an even layer.
Cover pot and bake in the Sport for approximately 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edges and invert it onto a plate to cool. If some pineapple slices stick to the pan, use a spatula to transfer them back on top of the cake and spread a little of the gooey brown sugar sauce over them to cover it up.
Being comfortable is important. Why would you spend all the time and energy to go camping just to miss out on some of the finer things in life?
Nothing finishes off a great, solar powered meal, quite like a sweet, sun baked dessert.
These camping desserts may not have been possible in the days before the Solavore Sport, so make the most of your solar cooker and bake something delicious this weekend.
