After a long day of camping and exploring the area, sometimes all you need is to satisfy your sweet tooth. There are so many creative and fun desserts to try that go way beyond the classic s’mores. These are our favorites.

And don’t forget, a healthy dollop of vanilla ice cream will compliment any of these desserts!

 

Peanut Butter Trail Brownies

This is an amazing rich dessert that works best in an RV oven. However, you can also do this recipe over a campfire with a grate, and covered with aluminum foil.

Ingredients:

• 1 (18 oz) box brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup peanut butter chips
• ½ salted peanuts

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8” x 8” or similar pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, vegetable oil, and water. In a separate bowl, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, and stir until combined. Spread half of the brownie batter in the prepared pan.

Place the peanut butter mixture on a piece of parchment paper, top with more parchment paper, and roll out until you have a square that is roughly the size of the baking pan. Place the peanut butter layer on top of the brownie layer, then top with the remaining brownie batter, spreading to cover. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips and salted peanuts.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a fork in the middle comes out clean. The center may still appear underdone but will firm up as the brownies cool.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

A fun recipe that gives you your daily dose of healthy fruit. It’s a spin on the traditional strawberry shortcake, except this mouth-watering version is campfire friendly.

Ingredients:

• Strawberries (other grill-friendly fruit is below)
• Pound cake
• Whipped cream

Simply cut strawberries in half and dice the pound cake into large squares. Thread them alternately on a metal or other skewer safe for a campfire at about medium heat, turning occasionally until the fruit is warm and soft and the pound cake is toasted (about 6-8 minutes). Then remove them and place in a bowl or serving dish, top with whipped cream.

If any members of your camping crew are not into strawberries, you can substitute with other grill-friendly fruits such as pineapple, plums, nectarines, rhubarb, and pears. Encourage them to make their own shortcake creations!

 

S’more Calzones

We love a creatively different take on gool ‘ol s’mores! This recipe is like a big warm chocolatey hug!

Ingredients:

• For dough:
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
  • 2 cups white whole wheat or whole pastry flour (can also use all-purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt
• For S’mores:
  • 1 pound batch of the dough (above) OR 1 store-bought pizza or pastry dough
  • 2-4 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars (or other melting chocolate)
  • 10 large marshmallows
  • Finely-crushed graham crackers and optional powder sugar for dusting

 

The Dough. In a large bowl, mix water, yeast, and honey with a spoon. Let set until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups of the flour, cinnamon, salt and olive oil, stirring until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Wash your hands, then on a floured surface, form the dough into a ball and work the other ½ cup of flour into the dough if needed. This can also be done with a mixer with the dough hook attached. Then, rub the same bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm area to rise for 1 hour.

 

The S’more’s. Divide the dough into 10 equal sized balls. Either roll each ball into a 6-inch circle or divide balls into two (3 ½ inch) circles. Working on one side of the dough or with one dough round, add two pieces of chocolate. Flatten one marshmallow and place it on top. If desired, add another 1-2 pieces of chocolate (it’s richer that way!) Then either take the top half of the dough and fold it over the filling or add the top round of dough. Crimp the edges of dough to seal. At this point, the s’mores can be put on a floured cookie sheet, covered and stored in the fridge until ready to cook.

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of each s’more with melted butter. If baking, put parchment paper on the sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. If grilling, add the buttered s’mores to the grill and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Then serve warm, dusted with graham crackers or powdered sugar. Serve with ice cream.