Look out s’mores; you’ve got competition! This just might become your new favorite campfire dessert! So whether you are camping in the woods or gathered around a fire pit in your backyard, you can enjoy the warm, comforting flavor of apple crisp.
Our family loves to go camping, and I mean hard-core tent camping where all of your food is cooked over a campfire! And every year, I try to keep the food interesting by thinking outside the box. Of course, S’mores are a given, and my kids would be really bummed if I left them out. But I like to add something new and different to keep it interesting (and keep them guessing)! So last year, I surprised my family with campfire apple crisp. My favorite comment of the evening was, “This is the fanciest camping dessert I’ve ever had!” I call that success!
Campfire apple crisp is not just for camping but will also work great for those fun evenings when you are gathered around your backyard fire pit or grilling with friends and family.
You can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and pack them in the cooler to put together at camp or make them right away for your backyard gathering. Either way, these are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
How to make Campfire Apple Crisp:
You’ll Need:
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- lemon juice, **only if making ahead of time**
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
For the Topping:
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Quick-cooking oats
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Baking powder
- Melted butter
INSTRUCTIONS
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Tear off four sheets of aluminum foil, about 8-inches x 12-inches. Set aside.
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Peel and cut the apples into ¼-inch slices. Set aside.
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Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Then sprinkle the mixture on the sliced apples, stirring to coat the apples evenly.
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Evenly divide the apples between the four pieces of aluminum foil.
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In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
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Add the melted butter and stir with a fork, fluffing the topping as you stir. Stir until the butter is evenly distributed and the topping is completely moist.
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Evenly sprinkle the topping on the top of the apples.
Baking the Crisp:
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Fold each of the foil packets up and seal.
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Place on the grate over the campfire or on a pre-heated grill. Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes. The apple crisp is done when the topping is golden brown and the apples are soft. If you don’t have a grate over your fire, place the packets next to the coals (not in the coals), and rotate every 5 minutes until done, to help them cook evenly,
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Carefully open the foil packets (be careful of the escaping steam) and top with ice cream if desired.
To Prepare Ahead of Time (to take on a camping trip):
If you are planning to make the apple crisp while camping, I suggest preparing all your ingredients ahead of time at home and assembling the crisp packets right before baking them at camp. The instructions are pretty much the same, except you will put everything in separate airtight containers until ready to assemble. You will also want to add a little lemon juice to the apples to prevent them from browning.
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Cut up the apples and sprinkle with 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice, toss to coat. Store in an airtight container and place in the cooler. The lemon juice helps to keep the apples from browning.
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Place brown sugar and cinnamon mixture in a small airtight container.
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Follow the instructions for making the topping. And also store in an airtight container.
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When you are ready to bake the apple crisp, drain off any liquid in the apples, then mix the sugar and cinnamon with the apples. Next, divide the apples evenly over four (8-inch x 12-inch) foil sheets. Then, evenly divide the topping amongst the four packets, seal, and bake as instructed.
Campfire Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 4 cups apples (2 to 3 large apples), peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice, **only if making ahead of time, see instructions**
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup flour
- ¾ cup quick-cooking oats
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- Aluminum Foil, heavy-duty
Instructions
- Tear off four sheets of aluminum foil, about 8-inches x 12-inches. Set aside.
- Peel and cut the apples into ¼-inch slices. Set aside.
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Then sprinkle the mixture on the sliced apples, stirring to coat the apples evenly.
- Evenly divide the apples between the four pieces of aluminum foil.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
- Add the melted butter and stir with a fork, fluffing the topping as you stir. Stir until the butter is evenly distributed and the topping is completely moist.
- Evenly sprinkle the topping on the top of the apples.
Baking the Crisp:
- Fold each of the foil packets up and seal. Place on the grate over the campfire or on a preheated grill. Bake for about 20 minutes. The apple crisp is done when the topping is golden brown and the apples are soft.
- Carefully open the foil packets (be careful of the escaping steam) and top with ice cream if desired.
**To Prepare Ahead of Time (to take on a camping trip):**
- Cut up the apples and sprinkle with 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice, toss to coat. Store in an airtight container.
- Place brown sugar and cinnamon mixture in a small airtight container.
- Follow the instructions above for making the topping. And also store in a separate airtight container.
- When you are ready to bake the apple crisp, drain off any liquid in the apples, then mix the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture with the apples. Next, divide the apples evenly over four (8-inch x 12-inch) foil sheets. Finally, evenly divide the topping amongst the four packets, seal, and bake as instructed above.