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Campfire Desserts Beyond the Basic S'more

S'mores upgrades, grilled fruit, skillet cobbler and banana boats, cooked over the last coals of the night.

Dessert at camp is mostly about the fire. When dinner is done and coals are glowing, it is the perfect time for something sweet. Here are favorites beyond the standard s'more.

S'more upgrades

• Swap chocolate for peanut butter cups.
• Use cookies instead of graham crackers.
• Add a slice of strawberry or banana.
• Try a toasted marshmallow with a square of dark chocolate and sea salt.

Grilled peaches or pineapple

Halve peaches and remove the pit, or slice pineapple. Brush with butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Grill cut side down over medium coals until marked and warm. Serve with whipped cream.

Portable fire pit

Love campfires? Bring your own clean one.

The Slot Grill Compact burns charcoal or cooking wood in a raised steel box with a 2⅞" air gap underneath, so where fires are allowed it doubles as a tidy personal fire pit after supper. Set up by hand in 30 to 60 seconds, no tools.

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Skillet cobbler

In a cast iron skillet, add canned or fresh fruit with a bit of sugar. Top with a simple biscuit mix dough. Cover with foil and cook over low coals until bubbling and the top is cooked through.

Banana boats

Slit a banana lengthwise through the peel, stuff with chocolate chips and marshmallows, and cook on the grate until melted.

Grilled pound cake

Slice pound cake, butter lightly, and toast on the grate. Top with berries.

Fire-pit dessert time

After dinner, add a few small pieces of firewood if allowed. Roast marshmallows over the gentle flames. With the Slot Grill working as a small fire pit, you are roasting over your own clean fire rather than a ring of unknown history.

Keep it trail-ready

Raw steel likes a little care

Slot Grill Seasoning Balm is an avocado oil and beeswax blend for carbon steel and cast iron. Wipe on a very thin coat, bake at 400°F for an hour, repeat to build up a protective, non-stick layer.

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Kid safety

Long roasting sticks, close adult supervision, and a clear rule that nobody waves a flaming marshmallow.

The perfect toasted marshmallow

Most marshmallow disasters come from holding them in the flames. For a golden, gooey marshmallow:

1. Wait until the fire burns down to glowing coals.
2. Hold the marshmallow a few inches above the coals, not in the flames.
3. Rotate slowly and steadily.
4. Be patient; a good one takes a couple of minutes.

If you like them charred, go for it. Just blow it out gently and let it cool a moment before eating; burnt sugar is extremely hot.

S'mores bar

Set out a tray with options and let everyone build their own:

• Graham crackers, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread
• Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter cups, caramel-filled chocolate
• Sliced strawberries, bananas
• A jar of peanut butter or hazelnut spread

Skillet cobbler, step by step

Ingredients

• 2 cans peaches (or other fruit), drained slightly
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup biscuit mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method

1. Butter a cast iron skillet.
2. Add fruit, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Stir biscuit mix and milk into a thick dough.
4. Drop spoonfuls over the fruit.
5. Cover with foil or a lid.
6. Set over low coals and cook 25 to 35 minutes until the topping is cooked through.

Low heat is key; too much and the sugar burns on the bottom.

Grilled fruit guide

• Peaches and nectarines: halve, pit, butter, grill cut side down.
• Pineapple: rings or spears, brushed with butter and cinnamon sugar.
• Bananas: in the peel, split lengthwise.
• Apples: thick slices, brushed with butter and cinnamon.
• Watermelon: thick wedges, briefly over high heat for char.

Dessert quesadillas

Spread a tortilla with peanut butter or hazelnut spread, add sliced bananas and marshmallows, fold and toast on a griddle until melty.

Hot cocoa on the grill

Heat milk or water in a pot on the edge of the grill, whisk in cocoa mix, and top with marshmallows.

Turning the grill into the evening fire

After desserts, add small, dry splits of local firewood to the remaining coals for a short, cozy fire where allowed. Keep it small. This is the beauty of a grill that doubles as a fire pit: you go from cooking to campfire without moving to a shared ring.

Cleanup

Melted marshmallow and chocolate on a grate can be scraped off while warm. Pack out sticky wrappers and sticks.

Dessert timing

Desserts usually cook best on the dying coals after dinner. Plan them that way: cook dinner over high and medium heat, then when the coals are lower and even, it is dessert time. Skillet desserts need low, steady heat; marshmallows need glowing coals or a small, calm flame.

Dutch oven-style desserts in a skillet

A cast iron skillet covered tightly with foil works like a small oven. Try:

• Brownies: box mix, thinner than usual, cooked low and covered.
• Cinnamon rolls: store-bought dough in a buttered skillet, covered until cooked through.
• Apple crisp: sliced apples, sugar and cinnamon with an oat, flour and butter topping.
• Cherry dump cake: canned pie filling topped with cake mix and butter pats.

Always use low heat and check often; it is easy to burn the bottom.

No-cook desserts for burn bans

When fire restrictions rule out cooking, you can still enjoy dessert:

• Fruit with chocolate dip
• Cookies and milk
• No-bake granola bites
• Pudding cups
• Trail mix with chocolate

Hot drinks

• Hot cocoa with marshmallows
• Spiced cider: apple cider warmed with cinnamon
• Tea with honey

Kid-friendly dessert jobs

• Building s'mores
• Stuffing banana boats
• Sprinkling cinnamon sugar on fruit
• Stirring cocoa

Gear for desserts

• Long roasting sticks (telescoping ones pack small)
• Small cast iron skillet
• Foil
• Heat-resistant gloves
• Spatula

Safety for sweet treats

Melted sugar and marshmallow are extremely hot and sticky. Let them cool a moment before eating, and never give kids flaming marshmallows. Keep water nearby for minor burns.

Troubleshooting desserts

• Marshmallows burning: too close to flames; hold higher over coals.
• Cobbler topping raw: cover tighter and cook longer on low heat.
• Burnt bottom: too many coals; spread them thinner.
• Chocolate not melting in s'mores: warm the chocolate on the graham cracker near the fire first.

Clean-up after dessert

Wipe sticky spots off the grate while warm. Pack out all wrappers and sticks.

Make-ahead dessert kits

Pack dessert kits at home so the work at camp is just assembly:

• S'mores kit: graham crackers, chocolate squares and marshmallows in one bag.
• Banana boat kit: chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and peanut butter in small containers.
• Cobbler kit: pre-mixed dry topping in a bag, with fruit in a can or jar.
• Fruit kebab kit: strawberries, pineapple and a small jar of honey.

Grilled fruit

Grilling caramelizes natural sugars. Try peaches, pineapple rings, pears or bananas over medium coals. Serve with whipped cream, yogurt, or a drizzle of honey.

Campfire cones

Fill waffle cones with chocolate chips, marshmallows and berries. Wrap in foil and warm on the grill for a few minutes.

Desserts for big groups

A skillet cobbler or brownie pan feeds more people than individual treats. Use the Full Size grill or two skillets.

The perfect s'more, step by step

1. Hold the marshmallow over glowing coals, not tall flames, about a hand's width up.
2. Rotate slowly and steadily for an even golden toast.
3. Meanwhile, set a square of chocolate on a graham cracker near the grill's edge to soften.
4. Sandwich the hot marshmallow onto the chocolate with the second cracker and pull out the stick.

S'more swaps

• Peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate
• Cookies instead of graham crackers
• A slice of strawberry or banana
• Dark chocolate with a pinch of sea salt
• Mint chocolate squares

Skillet cookie

Press store-bought cookie dough into a buttered small skillet, cover with foil and bake over low coals until set at the edges and soft in the center. Top with ice cream if you packed it in a deep-frozen cooler.

Dessert without a sugar crash

For a lighter treat, grill fruit and serve it with plain yogurt and a drizzle of honey, or warm a handful of berries in foil with a little lemon and spoon them over shortbread. Dark chocolate squares melted onto grilled bananas satisfy a sweet tooth with less sugar than a pile of marshmallows.

Dessert for breakfast

Leftover cobbler or brownies taste great with morning coffee. Warm them on the cool side of the grill in their foil while the breakfast coals heat. Pancakes topped with grilled fruit and a dusting of cinnamon sugar make a sweet start that still feels like a real breakfast.

A final note

Pack a small container of wet wipes for sticky fingers after dessert, and keep the trash bag handy for wrappers and used sticks.

Questions campers ask

What are good campfire desserts besides s'mores?

Grilled fruit, skillet cobbler, banana boats and grilled pound cake.

Can I roast marshmallows over a charcoal grill?

Yes. Charcoal or a small wood fire in the grill works well.

How do I keep kids safe roasting marshmallows?

Use long sticks, supervise closely and set a boundary around the fire.

Feeding the whole camp

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