Campfire Baked Apples

These Campfire Baked Apples are easy to make while on a camping trip. Wrap them in foil and cook in the campfire, bake in a Dutch oven, or bake them at home in your own kitchen! Love the Dutch oven? Check out all of my cast iron campfire Dutch oven recipes.

This past weekend My family and I went camping and white water rafting with my neighbors. We had about six families which included 17 kids!! There were no showers at our campsite, but we had the river!

Kern River runs about 165 miles and is fed by the snowmelt near Mount Whitney. So the cold water felt oh, so good, in those 100ºF plus temperatures we were having. We got some river rafting fun in as well as just good old fashioned jumping in the river fun!

We divided meal duties amongst the families and I was for dinner the first night. I made campfire chili with a cornbread crust in a dutch oven. It went over very well with the hungry campers and no one left hungry!

Why this recipe is so awesome

While the kids had s’mores for dessert, I made something less sugary and more sophisticated for the grown-ups: campfire baked apples. So easy, and really delicious!

While the chili was cooking, my friends and I cored out enough apples for all of us. I think we made about 16 total for 10 adults & 15 kids. I figured most of the kids preferred the marshmallow goodness over my healthy baked apples!

This is such an easy treat to make. Simply core the apples, stuff them with a nut-raisin filling and bake. Then wrap them in foil and bake them in your fire ring full of hot ash.

I have also made these using the Dutch oven, too. Like I said crazy easy.

We knew they were done when we squeezed the apples with some long handled tongs and they were soft, but not mushy. We took them off the heat and put them in a cardboard box until we were ready to devour them.

And, boy, were they devoured!! The older kids, who were sick of s’mores, enjoyed them, too. It was like a personal apple pie, only healthier and tastier. The apples still had some tartness to them, but were perfect with the sweet filling inside.

Ingredients you need

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• Apples: Use firm baking apples like Gala or Granny Smith.
• Lemon juice: You can use bottled or fresh. This helps the cored apples from browning and oxidizing.
• Dried fruits: I used dried cranberries and raisins, but you can use any dried fruit your family likes. If using larger items like dried apricots, cut them into small pieces first.
• Nuts: I chopped walnuts, but you can also use peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans or whatever nuts you like.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• Butter: A small dab of butter is added to the apples for flavor and moisture. For a vegan option you can use vegan butter or coconut oil. For more sweetness and a square of caramel.

Step-by-step directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together dried fruits, nuts and spices.

2. Using a knife of an apple corer carefully core the apples. Brush the inside of the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.

3. Place each apple on their own a 10-inch square sheet of aluminum foil. Press dried fruit mixture into the center of each cored apple.

Cut butter into four pieces and place each small square on top of each apple, over the center filled with the dried fruit mixture.

4. Wrap each apple tightly with the aluminum foil.

5. Place aluminum foil wrapped apples in or next to hot coals, not onto open flame, and cook for 20-45 minutes, depending on how firm you like your baked apples.

Keep checking your apples. If coals are too hot, remove from coals and place on a grate over the coals. Apples are done when they feel tender when squeezed. Serve warm.

Recipe tips and FAQs

If you are camping, mix the nut filling at home and keep it in a ziploc bag. Less work than mixing it at the campsite.

Not everyone is a fan of foil cooking, so you can bake apples in a Dutch oven. My 10-inch Dutch oven fits 8 large apples beautifully. Simply place the cored apples in the Dutch oven and then stuff them from there.

I bake them for 20 minutes at 350ºF, that’s 8 hot coals underneath the Dutch oven and 14 coals on top. This yielded a soft yet still firm baked apple. If you like your apple cooked longer, than by all means, leave them in the hot Dutch oven for 10-15 minutes more.

You can also wrap a square sheet of parchment paper around the apples then cover that with foil. This way the food doesn’t touch the foil, and the parchment paper doesn’t burn in the ashes.

To bake them at home, place the cored apples in an oven safe baking dish, stuff them and top them with butter. Bake in the oven anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes in a 350ºF oven. Again, depending on how firm you like your baked apples the baking time will vary.

And if you are looking for more fabulous recipes to enjoy while you are camping or simply cooking in your backyard, then I’ve got a treat for you! This recipe is also featured in my new cookbook, The Camp & Cabin Cookbook (Countryman Press 2018).

I have 100 recipes that are all prepared outdoors and over fire using multiple techniques from foil cooking to ash cooking to Dutch oven cooking and grilling and so much more!

Learn more about my camping cookbook here.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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