These baked apples are the ultimate camping treat. Whether you’re gathered around a roaring fire or using a backyard charcoal grill, this recipe delivers a comforting, cinnamon-spiced crunch that tastes like autumn in a bowl.
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4
Ingredients
• 4 Apples: Honeycrisp are highly recommended for their firm texture and sweetness.
• ½ cup Rolled Oats: Adds a nice “crisp” texture.
• ½ cup Brown Sugar: For that deep, molasses-like sweetness.
• 4 tbsp Butter: Must be very soft or melted.
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon: The essential spice.
• ¼ tsp Salt: To balance the sugar.
Instructions
1. Prepare Your Heat Source
Start your wood fire or charcoal well in advance. You are looking for hot embers/coals, not active leaping flames. If you’re using a 10″ Dutch oven, you’ll eventually need about 8 coals on bottom, 15 on top.
2. Mix the Filling
In a small bowl, combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, softened butter, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until it forms a crumbly, wet paste.
3. Carve the Apples
Using a small spoon or apple corer, carve out the center of each apple.
Pro Tip: Start from the top and stop before you hit the bottom. Keeping the “base” of the apple intact is crucial so the sugary butter doesn’t leak out!
4. Stuff the Apples
Spoon the oat mixture into the hollowed centers, packing it down firmly with your spoon until it’s overflowing slightly at the top.
5. Choose Your Baking Method
You can bake these apples using two different campfire techniques depending on your gear. If you are using a Dutch oven, place the stuffed apples upright inside the pot and secure the lid. Set the oven over a bed of seven hot coals and place fourteen additional coals on top of the lid to reach an internal temperature of roughly 350°F. Alternatively, you can use the foil wrap method by placing each apple in the center of a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Gather the corners at the top to create a sealed pouch with a “handle” at the peak, then place the individual packets upright directly onto the hot embers.
6. Bake and Serve
Cook for approximately 30 minutes. You’ll know they are ready when the apple flesh feels soft when poked and the filling is bubbly and golden.
To Serve: Carefully remove from heat, place in a bowl, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Published on: May 7, 2026
Location: Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute
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