17 Desserts This Camping Cookbook Author Recommends For Your Next Outdoor Adventure

Summer is the season of outdoor cooking. And, no, I'm not just talking about the idea of throwing a couple of hot dogs on the grill, grabbing the crock of baked beans, and having yourself a barbecue. Rather, it's the time of year when you can try your hand at cooking over an open campfire, just like people had to do before they invented stovetops and ovens.

Most people can fare well with cooking savory foods over an open flame, or inevitably turn to the pack of trail mix and canned beans in their hiking pack for when something doesn't pan out. But, what about the best meal of the day: dessert?

While s'mores are the quintessential campfire treat, there's actually more to fireside desserts than just that. And no one would know that better than Steven Rinella, author of "The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook." His book shares a ton of different recipes, both savory and sweet, for all levels of outdoors people. He gave me some of his top tips for making desserts outdoors and how you can master the flame to craft tantalizing sweet treats to try on your next adventure.

A pie iron is essential for easy campfire cooking, and if you plan on cooking a lot of things over a campfire, it's one tool that you should really keep on hand. The iron contains two plates, attached with a hinge, that allows you to easily make hand-pies filled with almost any sweet or savory ingredient. Plus, these tools only weigh about five pounds, so you can easily tuck it into your pack and carry it around for when the mood (or hunger) strikes.

Since this pan is made of cast iron, like a skillet, you'll want to be sure to apply the same seasoning technique to keep it stick-free. You'll should also add a bit of oil or grease to it before you add in your pie dough filling, biscuit dough, or whatever you plan on using as your pie base. If you like to keep things simple, use canned pie filling, because it comes in many different flavors and is rather portable.

Now, this is a hack you may have never considered until now. Since you can brown marshmallows over the fire, and you can toast the cereal for Rice Krispies treats, why wouldn't you try feeding two birds with one scone and toasting your pre-made treats over an open fire? As long as you have the proper roasting stick, this trick is easier than you'd think.

Once you have your bars ready to go, place them on a secure, long roasting stick. We recommend using a multi-prong stick for cooking your treats for added stability, but you can play with fire (literally and figuratively) if you do so choose by sticking with the classic tree branch. Rotate the treat frequently and avoid sticking it directly into the flame for the perfect color and crunchy, slightly caramelized consistency.

Roasted fruit alone is delicious, but when you dip it in marshmallow fluff and give it the perfect little toast, you'll find that the flavors are truly remarkable. The Fluff is much easier to work with than a whole marshmallow, and the subtle heat from the flame will give it the perfect brûléed effect. Plus, you can just keep a can of fluff in your camping pack for when the mood strikes, and not have to worry about it drying out like a pack of mallows. We also won't blame you if you sneak a spoonful from time-to-time.

You'll want to pick a fruit that still stays sturdy after it's cooked for this recipe. Grilled strawberries and watermelon are just two solid options. As with cooking the proper marshmallow, be sure to rotate it over the flame so it cooks on all sides.

Everyone should carry around a package of tin foil when they go camping. Foil pack meals are a great idea, and you can even use them for a quick, easy dessert. Opting for canned fruit will save you some time and space in your pack, but you can also use frozen fruit if you're opting for a backyard camping adventure. Once your fruit is in the foil, you can cube up some biscuit dough, toss it on top, and carefully cook it until the top is brown and the juices start to bubble.

To avoid a sticky situation and extra flames, try to crimp the foil packet over, or add an extra layer of it if necessary. Regardless of if you're making a sweet or savory recipe, cookbook author Steven Rinella notes that "the sauce is as important as everything else." So, you may want to add a little extra butter — just in case — since it will keep things moist and perfectly cooked.

Pound cake straight out of the pan isn't bad. But a quick toast over the fire will add a slight bit of char and will give you something to focus on besides the sweetness. When you're getting these slices ready for your fire, though, it's important to cut them into thick pieces. If you cut them as thin as you would sandwich bread, you may run into the issue of your bread meeting a fiery demise.

Once your pieces are toasted, you can top them with almost any sweet accompaniment. A scoop of ice cream could play well with your cake, or you can opt for canned or fresh fruit. This recipe can also be modified to be made on a grill or grill pan.

Campfire desserts are a challenge by choice. While some people will toss a mallow on the fire and be done with it, other folks take it a step further and make their own apparatuses for cooking their favorite desserts over the fire. If you can get your hands on wooden dowel pieces, you can easily affix them to roasting sticks to make your own cake cup molds. Then, line the thick end with your ingredient of choice, like biscuit dough or a crescent roll, and cook it over the fire until it holds its shape. Since you're working with wood, it's in your best interest to give everything a good soak before you cook with it to stave off any unanticipated char.

Once you've removed the cup from the dowel, fill it with your favorite pudding, whipped topping, ice cream, or more. Some people opt for canned frosting for a simple alternative, but the options are really seemingly limitless.

We won't blame you if you've never heard of a brown bear. This camping food is popular among children and only requires a few ingredients: canned biscuit dough, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter. The dough is wrapped around a roasting stick before being cooked, dunked in the butter, and topped with the cinnamon and sugar. It's sweet, and could be made even more decadent when paired with canned icing.

Another variation on this treat utilizes canned cinnamon roll dough. However, the sugar might caramelize a bit too quickly and lead to a burnt flavor. So, you're better off cooking them in a Dutch oven or a skillet so that the dough has a little bit more of a buffer from the heat and the flames.

Grilled fruit is one of the easiest and less cloying camp treats out there. But, you have to have a little bit of knowledge on what fruits work well on the grill and how to cook them. You'll want to select a hearty fruit, rather than a limp, soggy one, for this dessert. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries are excellent selections, as well as pineapple, because they all hold their shape even after meeting the heat.

The key to making excellent grilled fruit, per Steven Rinella, is not to overdo it. "Peaches are great when eaten raw, of course, so there's no need to worry about cooking them through," he explains. "You want just enough heat and smoke to soften the peach and add some smoky flavor." Grilled fruit is great eaten straight from the fire, but you could also coat it in a whipped cream topping or serve it with biscuits.

The worst thing about s'mores is that they can get a little messy. And, do you really want small children whipping around the campsite with flaming marshmallows on sticks? Probably not.

Campfire cones are the self-contained treats that still allow you to customize your dessert. Simply stuff your extra ice cream cones (sugar cones or waffle cones work best) with whatever your heart desires, from mini marshmallows and candy pieces to chocolate chips and peanut butter. Be sure to add a few marshmallows to the bottom of the cone before the rest of your toppings, as this will prevent any of your more liquidy fillings from dripping out.

Then, tuck them gently inside of a tin foil sheet and place them near, not in, the fire or on the grill. The fillings are already all cooked, so this short cook time is just to get everything to melt.

Yes, you can make pizza over a campfire. Is it easy? That's for you to decide. And we're not talking about grilled pizza here, but you can probably make a modification on the classic recipe to suit a grill grate. Rather, we're talking about the process of making a pizza inside of a cast iron pan and cooking it over the fire.

Use a well-seasoned pan and add a ton of extra oil to it before you flop in your pizza crust (store-bought is fine). Pizza crust also tends to burn rather quickly, so you'll need to keep a keen eye on it and start checking the bottom about three minutes in to prevent it from charring too fast.

Once your crust is finished, you can top it with an array of sweet toppings, including a schmear of yogurt, Nutella, or peanut butter. Fruit slices, sauces, and chocolate chips also make excellent toppings for this sweet pie. While these toppings can be cloying and a bit random, Steven Rinella notes that there are also subtle ways to add sweetness to your campfire pizza. "To sweeten a pizza during the summer grilling season in a subtle way, try some fresh sweetcorn sliced from the cob, caramelized onions, thinly sliced grilled pears, or some thin slices from the grilled peaches," he suggests. "A drizzle of honey over the pizza is a great way to tie it all together."

Campfire banana splits are yet another s'mores alternative with slightly less direct cooking involved. Start by slicing into the peeled banana with the tip of your knife. You don't want to cut it all the way through — just enough to stuff it with chocolate chips, peanut butter, marshmallows, or whatever your tastebuds desire.

Then, tuck the dessert in with tin foil and place it near the fire to allow all the components to melt. Like other recipes, you don't want to leave the banana and its accompaniments next to the fire too long, as the heat is just a way to get those ingredients to incorporate seamlessly with one another. Once you pull the bananas out, you can top them with nearly any sauce or spread, like salted caramel or peanut butter sauce. As you could probably guess, this is going to be one dessert you'll want to eat with a fork.

We won't blame you if you make a trip to your local Dunkin' in between hiking trips and days spent by the lake. After all, an iced coffee and a donut is sometimes just a creature comfort. But, if you have some donuts or donut holes left over, you can always consider grilling them for an upgraded sweet snack idea.

You'll want to try roasting glazed donuts at your next campfire rather than other varieties. The glaze will develop caramel notes as it meets the flame. Chocolate-covered donuts will merely melt, while powdered sugar donuts won't fare well. Just stick your donut on a s'mores stick and rotate it slowly over the fire until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Then, eat straight from the stick or pair with some grilled fruit for a more filling treat.

Buckles are ideal sweet treats for people who can't decide if they want to eat a cobbler or a full-on cake. The good thing is that this fruity dessert also requires less work than cobbler, especially when you're working over a campfire.

The recipe in Steven Rinella's cookbook features peaches and raspberries, but he notes that "you can substitute the type of fruit to suit the season." He cooks the buckle in a cast iron skillet, which he recommends to first generously grease with butter. The cake batter base is then layered with the fruit and the crumble before it's baked over a fire.

Rinella notes in his book that you may have to modify this recipe to suit the type of fire you're working with, as well as the conditions at hand. For particularly windy conditions, where the heat on the top of the fire is unstable, he recommends changing the position of the skillet or covering its lid with a handful of coals to alter the heat distribution.

Making a fruit pie is a really fun experience that some eaters can tie to family traditions. But, it's also a relatively easy dessert that you can modify for outdoor cooking. In fact, a cast iron skillet can help you make better pies because it has a superior heat retention. Not only does this decrease the risk of a soggy bottom, but the heat will also ensure that the butter in your crust melts quickly. This contributes to the flaky layers that great pies are known for.

The key to adapting your pie recipe to suit an outdoor cooking space is to cook your pie in Dutch oven. The lid will trap the steam and help your pie filling cook. You can also add a layer of parchment to the inside to make it easier to remove, or opt for cooking it in a smaller, heat-resistant pan inside of the larger Dutch oven.

Chocolate cake is probably far from a recipe that you would think to cook over a campfire. But, Steven Rinella includes a chocolate cake recipe in his book — and it's a game changer for fireside desserts.

The essential part of making this chocolate cake is to use a cover for your skillet. In his book, Rinella shares that he uses a metal bowl that's slightly larger than his cake pan. But, in a pinch, he notes that you can also use foil to retain the moisture in the sponge. "Use the foil to seal any gaps," he writes in his cookbook. "You want a snug seal, but it doesn't have to be precise." This steam technique is a non-negotiable for making cakes over the fire because the steam will circulate around the sponge, resulting in the perfect color and cook. "You get a very light and airy cake with a lava-like center," he describes.

You wouldn't be wrong to associate pancakes with breakfast foods. But with a couple simple tweaks, you can modify this recipe to suit your cravings for something sweet after your dinner.

In his cookbook, Steven Rinella explains that once you have a basic pancake mix, which includes ingredients like flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, and sugar, you can modify it to suit other recipes, like the aforementioned buckle. Then, when you're ready to cook up your pancakes (or other recipe modification), you can just add the liquid ingredients and be well on your way to a delicious sweet snack for any time of day.

There are tons of ways to spruce up the pancake mix and make it more dessert-like. For one, you can stuff the pancakes with an array of ingredients, including cannoli filling, Nutella, or cookie butter.

You don't have to just use marshmallows for cooking over the fire. In his book, Steven Rinella has a recipe for hot cocoa, which he describes can "cheer up just about anybody." He recommends cooking the milk over the fire to the point that it starts to simmer, but not boil, before stirring in the other ingredients like cocoa powder and sugar. Rinella suggests serving an adult version of cocoa with a splash of Bailey's or rum, or sticking with the classic marshmallow topping for something a little more kid-friendly.

And on the subject of marshmallows, Rinella also shared a few pieces of roasting advice. "Don't let an open flame so much as glance at the marshmallow," he advises. "Take a shovel or stick and drag some embers off to the side of the fire and hold the marshmallow a few inches above the coals." He also notes that when cooking the perfect marshmallow, whether for a s'more or a brûléed topping on cocoa, takes time. "If it takes five minutes to get a perfectly golden product, so be it. Patience is a virtue," he comments.